The new 2025-26 college basketball season is here.
That means our staff is back to break down their top futures to get you ready from a betting perspective.
So, dive in below for college basketball futures, including conference title, National Championship and Final Four picks and a Wooden Award prop.
5 College Basketball Futures
Gonzaga
To Make Final Four (+1000)
By most metrics and to the eye of most prognosticators, Gonzaga was going to be a top 20 team this season, prior to the announcement that the NCAA would allow Tyon Grant-Foster to play.
Grant-Foster comes to Spokane from Grand Canyon, where he was a two-time All-WAC player and the conference Player of the Year two years ago.
When Gonzaga plays in the NCAA Tournament, he'll be 26 years old. Every expectation should have him as not just a starter but a major contributor for this team.
Graham Ike could be an All-American. Braden Huff returns and is likely to grow into the next Gonzaga star big man. Steele Venters hasn't played in two years due to a redshirt, then an injury, but he was also a conference Player of the Year in the Big Sky at Eastern Washington when we last saw him.
Braeden Smith is not Purdue’s Braden Smith — the frontrunner for National Player of the Year — but he was also Player of the Year in his conference — the Patriot League at Colgate — when he last played before a redshirt.
Mark Few has a team of talented, experienced players. Even role players like Jalen Warley and Adam Miller are deep into their careers. You’re looking at one of the nation’s best coaches with a team full of productive guys, all in their early to mid-20s.
At these odds? I’m rolling with the Zags in March.
Pick: Gonzaga to Make Final Four (+1000)
UConn
To Make Final Four (+360)
The 2025 campaign was always going to be difficult for the Connecticut Huskies as they chased a historic three-peat.
UConn looked vulnerable for the first time in quite a while after losing four players to the NBA draft, compared to just two the previous year.
Questionable losses to subpar competition were enough to see the Huskies drop in and out of the AP Top 25 multiple times during the season.
A Big East semifinal loss to Creighton meant the Huskies could only manage a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Their seed meant they’d draw the eventual national champion Florida Gators in the second round. UConn gave Florida all it could handle before ultimately losing 77-75.
This offseason, the Huskies lost two players — Liam McNeeley and Samson Johnson — to the draft, with McNeeley being the lone underclassman.
That means Connecticut should be much stronger, especially with its senior frontcourt of forward Alex Karaban and center Tarris Reed Jr.
Huskies head coach Dan Hurley recruited internationally by adding the 7-foot German freshman Eric Reibe at the center position.
Also, Silas Demary Jr. (Georgia) is a proven transfer at the guard position, while Malachi Smith (Dayton) will add depth at point guard.
Braylon Mullins is a five-star, top-20 shooting guard who NBA scouts are already high on.
With so many coaches expressing fatigue about the current college landscape, Hurley remains up for the fight, and a return to the Final Four could be well within his reach.
Pick: UConn to Make Final Four (+360)
Virginia
To Win ACC (+2000)
By Jordan Mann
Pat Kelsey made a splash in year one at Louisville, and I think Ryan Odom will do the same at Virginia.
Virginia’s portal class is one of my favorites in the country, especially when you add in Thijs De Ridder — who will be a day one impact guy — from overseas.
San Francisco transfer Malik Thomas averaged 20 points per game on 44/39/85 splits and can score it from anywhere.
Virginia also landed two different types of dynamic point guards in BYU’s Dallin Hall and San Diego State’s Jacari White. Hall is the prototypical floor general that will find his shooters like Thomas, De Ridder and Sam Lewis.
White is a shifty scorer who had 20 points or more 14 times last year and is a menace with his on-ball defense. Opponents shot 31.7% on 243 attempts when guarded by White.
Toledo transfer Lewis has one of the prettiest shots in the country. He's a 6-foot-6 wing that shot 44% from deep overall and 51% on catch-and-shoot 3s in 2024-25. He'll have plenty of opportunities this season when he's on the floor with Hall.
To round out the portal class, Virginia added rim protector Ugonna Onyenso, who averaged three blocks per game in 19 minutes in his last year at Kentucky.
Virginia has a real chance to finish in the top three in the ACC, so you best believe I'm taking a stab at it to win the ACC at +2000.
Pick: Virginia to Win ACC (+2000)
JT Toppin
Wooden Award Winner (+1000)
By Doug Ziefel
If you read my Big 12 conference preview, you’d know that the league is littered with talent this season. However, the upperclassman who should outshine all the elite freshmen is JT Toppin of Texas Tech.
Toppin broke out after transferring to the Red Raiders last season and led them on a deep tournament run in March. The 6-foot-9 big man has a unique blend of size and athleticism that allows him to control the paint on both ends while having the ability to stretch the floor.
There was an influx of scoring talent to Texas Tech this offseason, which should only give Toppin better opportunities to get buckets, as he’s not the only guy to be worried about.
Last season, Cooper Flagg became the first Wooden Award Winner to average less than 20 points per game since Oscar Tshiebwe, but Tshiebwe also averaged a double-double.
Bart Torvik has Toppin projected to average 21.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. A double-double machine for a program on the rise should make him a strong candidate to take home the Wooden Award this season.
Pick: JT Toppin Wooden Award Winner (+1000)
Houston
to Win National Championship (+1000)
This is almost a square play, but Houston has been machine-like since it joined the Big 12.
After a handful of strong seasons, including a loss in the National Championship to Florida last season, the Cougars come in as the No. 2-ranked team in the preseason AP Poll.
Expect them to have a strong showing in non-conference play, even though they participate in one of the most difficult Feast Week events in the Players Era Festival.
The Big 12 will be difficult (as usual), but Houston is favored to win every game at the moment, giving it an edge to land a top seed in the NCAA Tournament come March.
The Cougars' tenacity on defense and an expected improved offense behind Joseph Tugler and a handful of wonderful guards should give them a very poised team down the stretch. This is good value on a top-two team.
Pick: Houston to Win National Championship (+1000)
