Depth of Contenders and Stars Headline 2025/26 College Hoops Season

College basketball season is officially underway, and with a tightly packed group of national championship contenders and a trio of potential No. 1 picks in next year’s NBA Draft hitting the stage, the new campaign promises excitement.  

After Florida survived Houston’s suffocating defense to cut down the nets last spring, which schools will vie for college hoops supremacy in 2025/26?  

Purdue (+950) 

A nearly unanimous preseason No. 1, the Purdue Boilermakers are atop the national championship odds board. Having brought back the majority of a lights-out lineup from last season, led by the electric Braden Smith (+750 to be the Wooden Award winner as the most outstanding player), the Big Ten school will try to improve upon a season that ended at the hands of the Cougars in the Sweet 16.  

Houston (+1,000) 

The runner-up in last year's tournament, the Houston Cougars will try to claw back to the biggest stage on the strength of their relentless defense. With a trio of starters from last year's team back, and another three top-25 recruits joining the fray, Houston will remain the team nobody wants to face.    

Kentucky (+1,300) 

Big Blue Nation has been bolstered by a trio of incoming transfers, while Otega Oweh (+2,500 in Wooden Award odds) is back in Lexington to lead the way for the Wildcats. After a blow out loss in the Sweet 16, Kentucky and its reinforcements will be ready for a deep tournament run next spring.  

UConn (+1,300) 

The Huskies' hunt for a third straight national championship ended in the Round of 32 last spring, and Dan Hurley's relentless competitiveness will try and drive them back to the mountain top this year.  

Duke (+1,400) 

Rounding out the top five is the Duke Blue Devils, whose charmed season came undone in the Final Four a year ago. Yet, as Duke does, it’s back in the frame with another top prospect in Cameron Boozer (+1,100) in Wooden Award odds). Carlos’ son put together outrageous numbers in preseason, and looks primed to bully the ACC.   

Honourable Mentions: BYU (+1,700), Kansas (+2,250) 

Boozer may be set to punish the ACC, but he’ll have personal competition in the Big 12, too. Both BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas’s Darryn Peterson are widely expected to join Boozer as top three picks in next year’s NBA Draft – and can bolster their respective draft stocks by leading teams on the fringe of contender status to deep tournament runs. The pair start the season as co-favourites for the Wooden Award, at +750. 

Click here to see all college basketball markets at BET99. 

Odds as of November 6, 2025.