- Braden Smith and Cameron Boozer are helping lead their team in the 2026 NCAA Basketball odds as frontrunners for the Wooden Award.
HOUSTON – With the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season tipping off on Monday, now is the time to start betting on the season.
As the Houston Cougars and Purdue Boilermakers sit above the March Madness odds, there are many other bets to think about as well.
Odds On Who Win’s The 2026 National Championship
- Houston (#2) +900
- Purdue (#1) +950
- Connecticut (#4) +1200
- Duke (#6) +1200
- Florida (#3) +1200
- St. John’s (#5) +1500
- Kentucky (#9) +1600
- Michigan (#7) +1800
- Texas Tech (#10) +1800
- BYU (#8) +2200
- Louisville (#11) +2200
- Arkansas (#14) +2500
- Kansas (#19) +2800
- Illinois (#17) +3000
- UCLA (#12) +3000
Being a #1 seed for three straight years, the Cougars are the favorite, despite only making it to the Sweet 16 in two of those tournaments. Though they lost in the National Championship by two last season, Emanuel Sharp aims to become the true leader of the squad, who lost LJ Cryer to the NBA.
As for Purdue, the betting favorite to be the best player in college basketball sits on their team in Braden Smith.
John Wooden Award Odds
- Braden Smith (Purdue) +350
- Cameron Boozer (Duke) +475
- Darryn Peterson (Kansas) +700
- AJ Dybantsa (BYU) +1100
- JT Toppin (Texas Tech) +1200
- Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan) +1400
- Darrion Williams (NC State) +2200
- Otega Oweh (Kentucky) +2500
Smith may not be the flashiest player, but his career numbers speak for themselves. He leads all former Purdue players in assists (758) while sitting fourth in steals (183).
However, those privy to legal college basketball betting might look at Cameron Boozer at Duke to win the award instead. The 18-year-old son of Carlos Boozer already has a list of accolades under his belt.
- 2× Mr. Basketball USA (2023, 2025)
- Gatorade Male Athlete of the Year (2025)
- 2× Gatorade National Player of the Year (2023, 2025)
- Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year (2025)
- McDonald’s All-American Co-MVP (2025)
- 2× Florida Mr. Basketball (2023, 2024)
Add in the fact that he laid a 24 Pts, 23 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk statline against Tennessee on Sunday (and a 33 point, 12 rebound game against UCF 10 days ago) and the hype is real.
From Player To Team
There’s no surprise these two are helping lead their teams as conference favorites. With Duke (+165) and Purdue (+200) setting the standard in the ACC and Big Ten, respectively, opponents will need to do all they can.
Odds To Win The ACC In Basketball
- Duke (#6) +165
- Louisville (#11) +200
- NC State +700
- North Carolina (#25) +850
Odds To Win The Big 10 In Basketball
- Purdue (#1) +200
- Michigan (#7) +400
- Illinois (#17) +550
- UCLA (#12) +700
With dozens of other futures odds at legal sports betting sites, make sure to get your wagers in. Though the first game starts at 8 a.m. ET on Monday (Winthrop vs Queens University), the last (Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs Washington) begins at 11 p.m. ET, giving us 169 games to choose from.
