We are just days away from finding out who the field of 68 NCAA Tournament March Madness contestants will be. A lot of tickets have been punched. Some automatic bids have been clinched, and conference tournaments are raging on. Let’s dive in and take a look at some of the updated NCAA Tournament futures for March Madness and the best bets to take ahead of Selection Sunday.
Queens University, High Point, Hofstra, Wright State, Sienna, Northern Iowa, LIU, Tennessee State, Furman, North Dakota State, Troy, Lehigh, and Gonzaga have all already clinched automatic berths after winning their respective conference tournaments. They are in the big dance and looking forward to seeing their dreams come true.
March Madness: NCAA Tournament Futures Best Bets
Miami (Ohio) RedHawks to Win MAC Tournament (+190)
Miami of Ohio is 31-0 on the season. They’ve beaten everyone that’s been put in front of them. They’ve made it through the conference unscathed. Yet, somehow, they are still not even the favorites to win their own tournament. All the talk was “should they be in if they lose?” Everyone was questioning a team on such a historic run. We call that billboard material, and there’s no doubt in my mind that this RedHawks team has read and heard it all. They haven’t lost yet, and their conference tournament won’t be the first time they lose in 2026. Take the good price at almost 2/1.
Dayton Flyers to Win Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament (+800)
Let’s jump over to the Atlantic 10 Conference and look down the board a little bit. The Dayton Flyers seem to struggle when it comes to their conference tournament every year. Could this be the year that they overcome that? It’s been 23 years since Dayton last won it all in 2003. It’s been a streaky team all season; they’ve had their winning streaks, they’ve had their losing streaks. They ended the year winning six of their last games on the year.
Up from above✈️✈️
📺: ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/g74T7ntLZQ
— Dayton Basketball (@DaytonMBB) March 7, 2026
The Flyers will likely face George Mason in the quarterfinals, a team they handled 82-67 the last time they squared off. A win there puts them two away from getting it done. For the teams ahead of them in odds, St Louis struggled down the stretch, going just 3-3 in their last six games. VCU looks good, but are inexperienced with a first-year head coach. It’s just enough doubt to grab a team at 8/1 odds.
Iowa State Cyclones to Make the Final Four (+500)
This Iowa State team is a team I’ve loved for quite some time, and they once again showed everyone what they are capable of on Wednesday with a throttling of the Arizona State Sun Devils. The final score in that Big 12 Tournament game was a staggering 91-42.
NOW THATS SOME IOWA STATE BASKETBALL ‼️🌪️#cyclonembb #cyclonenation #big12tournament pic.twitter.com/AVeg7o1Xmv
— Iowa State NIL Store (@IowaStNILStore) March 11, 2026
The Cyclones’ defense is absolutely elite. They can shut down just about anyone, and we’ve seen that be a key in this tournament many times. Their “big 3” of Joshua Jefferson, Tamin Lipsey, and Milan Momcilovic are electric. When they are all on the same page, this team can beat anyone in the country. Will their best version show up in March? If Wednesday taught us anything, it looks like they are March-ready!
Florida Gators to Win National Championship (+650)
The Florida Gators are my National Champions this year. Michigan is flashy, Duke is flashy, but this Gators team gets my blood flowing. When everything is clicking for them, they are almost impossible to stop. They are heavy favorites (-155) to win the SEC Tournament title, and I expect them to roll through the opening rounds of the big dance.
The Gators’ dominant front-court play sets them apart. The size, speed, and skill of Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, and Rueben Chinyelu are almost unmatched. They are an experienced and tested team. They can also dominate you in the paint. Give me the Gators to go back-to-back in March, winning a second straight NCAA Tournament.
