March Madness 2025 is upon us. The annual NCAA basketball tournament starts with the First Four matchups on Tuesday, March 18. The tournament wraps up on April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas with the NCAA championship game. Before the much-anticipated tournament begins, we’ve hand-picked longshot programs — not the top-ranked schools — that could make a run during March Madness 2025. Below, we look at our under-the-radar best bets before play begins, and their betting value lessens.
Below, we look at the betting odds, picks, and predictions for the top three longshot teams to win the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Find the best NCAA Men’s March Madness odds here
| To Win 2025 Men's NCAA Basketball Championship |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | +300 | +340 | +300 |
| Florida | +350 | +375 | +390 |
| Auburn | +400 | +450 | +440 |
| Houston | +700 | +650 | +650 |
| Alabama | +1600 | +1800 | +1650 |
| Tennessee | +1600 | +2200 | +1650 |
| St. John's | +2000 | +2000 | +2400 |
| Arizona | +2500 | +3500 | +4100 |
| Michigan State | +2500 | +1800 | +2400 |
| Texas Tech | +2800 | +2500 | +2600 |
| Gonzaga | +3300 | +4500 | +3800 |
| Kentucky | +5000 | +5500 | +4800 |
| Connecticut | +5000 | +7500 | +10000 |
The St. Johns Red Storm have a 2024-25 NCAA basketball 30-4 overall record, which put the squad in first place in the Big East. St. Johns heads into March Madness on a nine-game winning streak, with their most recent victory being a 82-66 win over Creighton. The Red Storm opened the season with a 5-2 record. Following a 66-63 loss to Georgia in November, St. Johns went 25-2.
Rick Pitino, who has been the St. Johns coach since 2023, has the team playing well and they are a real threat to win their first national championship. The team has made the final four twice, in 1952 and 1985.
St Johns is one of the best defensive teams in the nation. On offense, the Red Storm is led by RJ Luis Jr. (18.1 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.4 SPG).
St. Johns opens 2025 March Madness play against No. 15 seed Omaha. St Johns is a -4000 betting favorite in that game.
The Kentucky Wildcats sport a 22-11 record, which put them in sixth place in the SEC. In his first year as coach of the team, Mark Pope led the Wildcats to victories over eight teams ranked inside the AP top 15 during the season. A feat the program achieved only once before. Kentucky did this with a team that was depleted by injury. Only four players on the club played in every regular season game in 2024-25.
Kentucky being in the Midwest helps the team because it allows them to avoid March Madness betting favorites Duke, Auburn, and Florida.
Kentucky is led on offense by Otega Oweh (16.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.6 SPG). Defensively, the team played well when Lamont Butler was on the court. Butler suffered a shoulder injury that limited him during the regular season. He left the team during the SEC tourney for the same reason, but he is expected to be available for the NCAA tournament.
Kentucky faces No. 14 seed Troy in the first round. The Wildcats are a -650 betting favorite for that game.
The UConn Huskies bring a 23-10 mark into March Madness. The team was the No. 3 squad in the Big East in 2024-25. The Huskies head into the NCAA tournament, coming off a 71-62 loss to Creighton. That setback ended a five-game winning streak for the team.
Despite back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024, the Huskies are a long shot to win in 2024-25. No team has won three straight titles since John Wooden’s UCLA clubs of the 1970s and 80s. The odds are against the Huskies, but with coach Dan Hurley at the helm, UConn cannot be counted out.
While this year’s version of the Huskies is not as deep as the previous championship winners, the team still has excellent players in Liam McNeeley, Alex Karaban, leading-scorer Solomon Ball.
UConn opens this year’s tournament against No. 9 seed Oklahoma. Connecticut is a -195 betting favorite in that game.
With the 2025 March Madness action about to start, don’t forget to check out the best betting site bonuses and prime Vegas online betting sites.
