4 Best Men's College Basketball Futures Bets Prior to the Round of 16

We entered the weekend with 64 teams. We're left with 16.

In a historic year of favorites, we're arguably left with 16 that can win it all. However, only six fit the defined historical criteria I mentioned before the tourney started. Surely, that'll help us really identify value in championship markets.

Which team will win each region? Is there a team overvalued to win it all? Based on the college basketball odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, are my favorite college basketball futures to target with the second-to-last weekend looming.

Men's College Basketball Futures Betting Picks

Auburn to Win the South Region (-130)
Auburn to Win the National Championship (+550)

I'm still surprised how palatable the Auburn Tigers' prices in the futures market are.

No team has a more straight-forward path to the national semifinals. One of the few upsets at the top of the bracket was their region's 3 seed, Iowa State, going down to a team, Ole Miss, that Auburn has beaten three times.

Meanwhile, Michigan State is working uphill as the 2 seed. There hasn't been a 2 seed unranked in preseason has ever come out of their region, and the Spartans have gotten off to a pair of iffy starts against Bryant and New Mexico already. Sparty was also just 4-3 in Quad 1-A games this season, and they'll have to win a pair to make it out of the South.

The Tigers' path hasn't been total smooth sailing, but they've lived up to their billing as a 1 seed despite Johni Broome totaling just 11.0 PPG this weekend.

We've already seen that injuries and other oddities can affect projections greatly, so having a seat at the table is worth as much as any factor. Auburn might run into Florida, who beat them by nine at Neville Arena, in the national semis, but not only could they certainly beat the Gators themselves, but UConn -- a much worse club -- just came within a couple of possessions of doing so. UF is no lock to make it.

I'd have expected Auburn's price to be better than Florida or Duke's because of how likely it is they'll see the third weekend. Bart Torvik has them winning the region 58.0% of the time (-138 implied) compared to these odds.

It seems the "stink" of War Eagle's 2024 first-round loss still hasn't aired out for most bettors, but they're a legitimate contender with a clean path.

Tennessee to Win the Midwest Region (+230)
Tennessee to Reach the National Championship (+700)

While Gonzaga was a dark horse that gave it their all, we're hurdling toward the defensive, high-level battle that we expected in the Midwest final.

Though Kentucky and Purdue, powers in their own right, have impressed far more than expected, both have a ceiling with Torvik defenses outside the top 40. Two of the top-six Ds in college basketball make up the top seeds in their own region: the Houston Cougars and Tennessee Volunteers. There's a reason both are at least 64.0% implied to advance at FanDuel Sportsbook.

The Vols seem to be the forgotten SEC school that check all the boxes. They're a top-20 offense (per Torvik) overall that hasn't made a statement with Zakai Zeigler yet to top 15 points in the tournament. They've beaten all of Florida, Auburn, and Alabama as top-five favorites to win the national title, too.

Tennessee's 265th-ranked adjusted tempo places them routinely in these "rock fight" basketball games, and Houston (278th) will be ripe for one. It's interesting the Cougs are such presumptive favorites to win it when they lost to Auburn and Alabama in stray meetings, which is why they fell outside the top 12 in the Week 6 AP Poll. No national champ in the KenPom era ever has, and Tennessee, ranked first at the time, was present.

Duke, by the way, would be the first champion in KenPom era outside the top 55 in schedule-adjusted efficiency due to a weak ACC. Will they make it through Arizona and the winner of Alabama-BYU? At this rate, Brigham Young could roll through the region drilling threes at a 41.3% clip.

Through the window of potential ugly upsets due to their slow pace, is Tennessee, fitting the historical criteria to a tee, the hidden gem on their side of the bracket?

You can also download our FREE college basketball printable bracket.

FanDuel now lets you parlay picks across multiple rounds! Think your team will take their region? You can stack that with your picks for every round—all in one bet. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Think you know who is cutting down the nets? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest men's college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.