by Al McMordie
Sunday, Nov 01, 2026The NCAA Basketball season tips off today, and I look to repeat the Futures success I had last season, when I tabbed Michigan at 20-1 odds in the Preseason to win the Title. I've had unparalled success on my NCAA Basketball Futures predictions, as I also cashed Baylor at 12-1 odds in 2021 and Virginia at 22-1 odds in 2019, for 3 Longshot Winning Tickets of the last 7 Championships.
Let's take a look at the odds (courtesy of BetRivers) of the leading contenders:
Florida +600
Duke +650
Michigan +1000
Connecticut +1200
Illinois +1200
Texas +1500
Arizona +1600
Michigan State +1800
Arkansas +1800
Houston +1800
Louisville +2200
St. John's +2500
Kansas +2500
Virginia +2500
Texas Tech +3000
North Carolina +3000
Tennessee +3500
Kentucky +3500
Gonzaga +4000
Iowa State +4000
Purdue +4000
BYU +4000
Alabama +4000
USC +5000
LSU +5000
Miami-Fla +5000
Missouri +5000
UCLA +5000
This season, I'm going to go with a team that's suffered its share of heartbreak in the last few March Madnesses. Last season, Duke was right there with Michigan and Arizona as a co-favorite to win the title. Indeed, Duke actually defeated Michigan, 68-63, as a 3-point underdog in February on a neutral court in Washington, DC. But in the Elite Eight round, Duke stunningly lost to Connecticut, 73-72, when it blew a 19-point first half lead. The worst part of the loss was that Cayden Boozer committed a needless turnover while trying to play keep-away to prevent the Huskies from fouling, and UConn's Braylon Mullins swished a 35-foot Hail Mary with 0.4 seconds left to knock out the Blue Devils. Likewise, the previous season, Duke was up by 14 with eight minutes left, and held a six-point lead with 1:14 remaining in the semi-final game, before getting overtaken by the Houston Cougars, 70-67. Those two seasons, Duke featured the best (Cooper Flagg) or one of the best (Cameron Boozer) players in the country. This season, there's no superstar, but rather a deep and balanced roster, and I look for Jon Scheyer's men to (finally) go all the way, and give Scheyer his first National Title as head coach. I will take them at +650 odds (at BetRivers).
Duke has a great mix of returning talent and incoming high school stars, as Scheyer landed the #1-ranked recruiting class. Boozer, a sophomore, returns, and will no doubt be highly motivated to redeem himself after last year's costly turnover. Other returnees include senior guard, Caleb Foster, and junior center, Patrick Ngongba. And Duke snagged former Wisconsin Badger star, John Blackwell, via the transfer portal. The incoming freshmen include Cameron Williams, Bryson Howard, Deron Rippey Jr., and Joaquim (Jojo) Boumtje-Boumtje. Blackwell will be a primary scorer, and was named to the preseason All-ACC First Team, as was center Ngongba II, who averaged 10.1 ppg and 5.8 rpg last season. Boumtje-Boumtje was selected for the preseason All-ACC Second Team. Duke was 3-0 in its preseason exhibitions, including a 90-84 road win at #17 Kansas, and an impressive 103-64 blowout of #8 Tennessee at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
I love playing on teams to win a Championship that had a major disappointment the previous season, and look for Duke's recent losses in March Madness to serve as fuel for this 2026-27 campaign. Take Duke at +650 odds (BetRivers).
Good luck, as always,
Al McMordie
Let's take a look at the odds (courtesy of BetRivers) of the leading contenders:
Florida +600
Duke +650
Michigan +1000
Connecticut +1200
Illinois +1200
Texas +1500
Arizona +1600
Michigan State +1800
Arkansas +1800
Houston +1800
Louisville +2200
St. John's +2500
Kansas +2500
Virginia +2500
Texas Tech +3000
North Carolina +3000
Tennessee +3500
Kentucky +3500
Gonzaga +4000
Iowa State +4000
Purdue +4000
BYU +4000
Alabama +4000
USC +5000
LSU +5000
Miami-Fla +5000
Missouri +5000
UCLA +5000
This season, I'm going to go with a team that's suffered its share of heartbreak in the last few March Madnesses. Last season, Duke was right there with Michigan and Arizona as a co-favorite to win the title. Indeed, Duke actually defeated Michigan, 68-63, as a 3-point underdog in February on a neutral court in Washington, DC. But in the Elite Eight round, Duke stunningly lost to Connecticut, 73-72, when it blew a 19-point first half lead. The worst part of the loss was that Cayden Boozer committed a needless turnover while trying to play keep-away to prevent the Huskies from fouling, and UConn's Braylon Mullins swished a 35-foot Hail Mary with 0.4 seconds left to knock out the Blue Devils. Likewise, the previous season, Duke was up by 14 with eight minutes left, and held a six-point lead with 1:14 remaining in the semi-final game, before getting overtaken by the Houston Cougars, 70-67. Those two seasons, Duke featured the best (Cooper Flagg) or one of the best (Cameron Boozer) players in the country. This season, there's no superstar, but rather a deep and balanced roster, and I look for Jon Scheyer's men to (finally) go all the way, and give Scheyer his first National Title as head coach. I will take them at +650 odds (at BetRivers).
Duke has a great mix of returning talent and incoming high school stars, as Scheyer landed the #1-ranked recruiting class. Boozer, a sophomore, returns, and will no doubt be highly motivated to redeem himself after last year's costly turnover. Other returnees include senior guard, Caleb Foster, and junior center, Patrick Ngongba. And Duke snagged former Wisconsin Badger star, John Blackwell, via the transfer portal. The incoming freshmen include Cameron Williams, Bryson Howard, Deron Rippey Jr., and Joaquim (Jojo) Boumtje-Boumtje. Blackwell will be a primary scorer, and was named to the preseason All-ACC First Team, as was center Ngongba II, who averaged 10.1 ppg and 5.8 rpg last season. Boumtje-Boumtje was selected for the preseason All-ACC Second Team. Duke was 3-0 in its preseason exhibitions, including a 90-84 road win at #17 Kansas, and an impressive 103-64 blowout of #8 Tennessee at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
I love playing on teams to win a Championship that had a major disappointment the previous season, and look for Duke's recent losses in March Madness to serve as fuel for this 2026-27 campaign. Take Duke at +650 odds (BetRivers).
Good luck, as always,
Al McMordie
