You don’t need to wait until the First Four round to dive into March Madness betting at Ozoon Sportsbook. The NCAAB futures market is loaded with basketball betting opportunities on things like picking the tournament winner, Final Four teams and conference winners. It’s the last chance for early bird betting before the formal selections are made and we roll into First Four action on Tuesday, March 17.
Last year, the selections committee got things right. It was an astounding tournament as far as seeding accuracy went. The Final Four, which included the Houston Cougars, Auburn Tigers, Duke Blue Devils and Florida Gators, were all No. 1 seeds. In the two rounds before—the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight—the higher-ranked team beat their lower-ranked opponent.
Ultimately, it was No. 1 Florida (SEC) vs. No. 1 Houston (Big 12) duking it out in the National Championship game on April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The Cougars dominated the game in all but the final minute, sitting as much as 12 points ahead of the Gators early in the second. But as the game came to a close, Florida moved ahead by two points and leaned on their star point guard, Walter Clayton Jr. to shut down Houston’s offence.
This year, Houston and Florida are repeating as top contenders for the 2026 tournament. We’ll go over the top seven teams to win the National Championship game that’s set for Monday, April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Final Four will be on Saturday, April 4 at the same venue. Gamelines, futures and live betting will be available every step of the way.
NCAAB Men’s Division I Tournament Winner
East
No. 1 Seed Projection: Duke
Atlantic Coast
The No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 for the final two weeks of the season, the Duke Blue Devils have been proving that they are still thriving in the post-Coach K era. Since Jon Scheyer took over in 2022-23, they’ve made deeper playoff runs every year, reaching the Final Four last tournament. Unfortunately for them, they lost 70-67 to Houston, and had to find replacements after all of their starters were drafted in the NBA.
This year’s team is a complete success, boasting a 29-2 season record and the best point differential (+20.4) in the league. Out went Cooper Flagg, who was drafted first overall in the NBA, and in came Cameron Boozer, son of two-time All Star Carlos Boozer. The freshman looks ready for the NBA and is excelling in all facets of the game. Standing 6-foot-9, the highly adaptable forward averages 22.7 points per game, 10.2 rebounds per game and 4.1 assists per game.
Some holdovers from last year’s team have stepped into starter’s roles this year, including guard Isaiah Evans (14.5 PPG, 2.8 REB, 1.3 AST), centre Patrick Ngongba (10.7 PPG, 6 REB, 1.9 AST) and guard Caleb Foster (8.5 PPG, 3.6 REB, 2.8 AST). On February 21, the team faced their toughest competition of the season, No. 1 Michigan (at the time) and won 68-63. Boozer scored 18 points that night, Evans scored 14, Foster 12, and Ngongba 11.
Projected No. 3 Seed: Iowa State
Big 12
There aren’t too many college basketball teams as consistent as the Iowa State Cyclones. Since the 2011-2012 season, they’ve been to the postseason all but twice. Last year, they reached the second round where they were eliminated in a 91-78 loss to the spirited Ole Miss.
Curtis Jones was drafted that year, but Milan Momcilovic (17 PPG, 3.1 REB, 1 AST) returned for his third year, and Joshua Jefferson (16.6 PPG, 7.4 REB, 5 AST) returned for a fourth year of college ball. Momcilovic has taken some major strides this season, breaking the school’s record for most 3-pointers (104) in a single season; his impressive 3.7 3-point field goals average is tied for third in the league.
The Cyclones had a bit of a bumpy end to their 25-6 season. They lost against three ranked teams in the last six games, but they managed to make a late rally to eke out a 70-67 win against No. 2 Houston just before that stretch. The crowd erupted in cheers when Nate Heise hit a 3-pointer to put Iowa State ahead 69-67 with less than two minutes on the clock.
Midwest
No. 1 Seed Projection: Michigan
Big Ten
This is Year 2 with coach Dusty May taking over from Juwan Howard, and the results have been promising. In Year 1, they erased the sour taste from their 8-24 record the season prior—the final one coached by Howard before getting sacked. With May at the helm, they reached the Sweet 16 after finishing his inaugural season 27-10. In their Sweet 16 matchup, they faced No. 1 Auburn as No. 5 seeds and lost 78-65 despite leading by nine points near the end.
This year looks even better for Michigan. The Wolverines finished 29-2 and went into their program’s history books for winning all of their road games. They accomplished this feat with the help of some significant players, including forwards Yaxel Lendeborg (14.7 PPG, 7.2 REB, 3.2 AST) and Morez Johnson Jr. (13.7 PPG, 7.4 REB, 1.1 AST), as well as their star shot blocker, 7-foot-3 Aday Mara (11.3 PPG, 6.9 REB, 2.4 AST).
Mara has been the anchor to the team’s stellar defense that ranks fifth in the league for shot blocking (5.9 blocks per game average). His enormous reach and precise timing not only block opponents from scoring but also deter them from even trying in the first place. Mara is tied for fifth in the league for average shots blocked (2.6 blocks per game).
Projected No. 2 Seed: UConn
Big East
Perennial March Madness contenders under coach Dan Hurley, the UConn Huskies have re-set after crumbling under intense expectations last season. The team was eager to three-peat after winning the National Championship in 2023 and 2024, but were bumped by Florida in the second-round.
Now they have great chemistry and are coming off a solid 27-4 season—most of which was spent in the top 5 rankings. Unfortunately for them, however, finishing the season with a loss to Marquette bumped them out of reach of the fourth No. 1 seed.
Despite that letdown, the Huskies are firing on all cylinders and boast a talented roster that includes Alex Karaban of the 2022 and 2023 title runs. The team enjoyed a solid stretch of 18 straight wins this season following their 71-67 loss to No. 4 Arizona in November. Coach Hurley took his time rebuilding key parts of the roster for the 2025-26 season and selected Silas Demary Jr. (11.1 PPG, 4.5 REB, 6.5 AST) because of some similarities to their star guard Tristen Newton from the title runs, and the pick has proven fruitful.
In addition to Demary, they have junior guard Solo Ball (13.9 PPG, 3.4 REB, 1.6 AST), who is one of five finalists for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year award. With Karaban leaving after this season, it’ll be their last chance to reach that third national title in his time at UConn.
West
No. 1 Seed Projection: Arizona
Big 12
The Arizona Wildcats (29-2) have been a perennial March Madness contender ever since coach Tommy Lloyd took over the program five years ago. They made deep playoff runs the last two years, reaching the Sweet 16 both times. This year, they got off to an incredible 23-0 season start, setting a franchise record, and have maintained a stable top-3 overall AP ranking throughout most of the season.
This team has a nice mix of freshmen and veterans on the roster, including Brayden Burries (16 PPG, 5 REB, 2.6 AST) and Koa Peat (13.8 PPG, 5.3 REB, 2.7 AST), as well as their rebound machines Tobe Awaka (9.6 PPG, 9.5 REB, 0.9 AST) and Motiejus Krivas (10.8 PPG, 8.2 REB, 1 AST).
Awaka and Krivas are the reason the team has such incredible defensive efficiency. Arizona is second in the league in rebounds per game (43) and Awaka and Krivas are responsible for 41% of those.
As for Burries, the team leans on his clutch play to save countless games that threaten to go sideways. For instance, on the road against the BYU Cougars on January 26, BYU made an aggressive rally in the final minutes that narrowed the gap to just one point. Burries, who scored 29 points, registered five rebounds, four assists and two blocks that game, rushed in and made the game-saving block, earning Arizona the 86-83 win. Arizona’s veteran guard Jaden Bradley (13.4 PPG, 3.5 REB, 4.6 AST) added 26 points that night.
South
No. 1 Seed Projection: Florida
SEC
The defending champions started their 2025-26 season on a bad foot, dropping five of the first nine games. Some rebuilding was in need after losing last year’s starting guards, Alijah Martin, Walter Clayton and Will Richards, all of whom were drafted to the NBA.
The Gators found their stride in January. After suffering their final loss—a 76-67 upset to Auburn (+7.5)—they started to put out stats that were even better than last year. Rebounding and 2-point shooting, for two, have been strong points for the Gators this season. Last year, they finished with 41.8 average rebounds, while this year, they top the league at 45.5. Their 2-point shooting also rose from 56.1% last year to 58.3% this year.
Ranking first in the league at 11.7 REB, junior centre Rueben Chinyelu (11.4 PTS, 0.7 AST) is responsible for the lion’s share of Florida’s boards. He was able to tie the franchise record set by Bob Smith in 1975-7 for most double-doubles in a season with 18.
The Gators finished the season 25-6 and ended with a dominant 84-77 victory over Kentucky last weekend. That allowed them to jump ahead of the faltering UConn in the rankings and likely take the fourth No. 1 seed come Sunday.
No. 2 Seed Projection: Houston
Big 12
The Houston Cougars could have very well been last year’s champs if it wasn’t for that final minute in the game when Florida’s defense shut them down. Now they need to try to return to the Final Four without their 2024-25 leading scorer LJ Cryer (15.7 PPG, 2.4 REB, 2 AST), who put forth an impressive 20 minutes off the bench for the Golden State Warriors this month.
His replacement is freshman Kingston Flemings (16.5 PPG, 3.9 REB, 5.4 AST). The 6-foot-4 point guard has turned heads this season and is up for the Bob Cousy Award for NCAAB’s best point guard. Flemings has shone with his playmaking abilities and has proven to be an elite three-level scorer. He broke Houston’s previous record for most points scored in a season by a freshman with 510 points. The best night for stuffing that stat was his 42-point night against the No. 12 Texas Tech Raiders on January 28; unfortunately for Houston, it wasn’t enough to win.
Houston went through a tough stretch of games in February when they faced three ranked teams back-to-back, including Kansas, Arizona and Iowa State. They struggled to score in that stretch and lost all three games, causing some worry among their fanbase. But they didn’t drop another game after that and wrapped up the season with a shining 26-5 record—good enough for second in Big 12.
This will be their 10th straight time reaching the postseason. The conference tournaments are happening now and will continue up to Sunday March 15, so get your bets down while you can. The conference tournament winners get an automatic bid to March Madness (First Four starts March 17, and the championship game is set for April 6), while the rest of the teams are chosen by the selection committee. In no time, we’ll know all 68 teams and can start filling out our brackets like a true college ball boss.