College Basketball Picks: 5 Things You Missed, Including SEC Supremacy
Written By Eli Hershkovich | Last Updated at August 21, 2025
With the NFL season in the rearview mirror, let's turn our attention to college basketball odds and potential futures picks for the weeks ahead. If you haven't noticed my college basketball power rankings, the SEC has dominated the headlines, with the Big 10 following suit. Then, there's Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, who has lived up to the hype as the best American prospect to enter the sport in over a decade. Discover what you may have missed in college basketball betting!
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2025 march madness odds: title & final four futures
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1. SEC & Auburn's mastery
Thirteen — that's the number of SEC programs in Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology. The record for bids from a single conference is 11, which the Big East delivered in 2011. KenPom, one of the premier analytical resources in college basketball, presents a +21.65 rating for the conference, more than 3.6 points higher than the Big Ten.
Then there's Auburn, led by Johni Broome, who boasts the second-best odds to win the Wooden Award at Johni Broome +260 on Bet365. The Tigers showcase the most efficient adjusted offensive efficiency (AdjO) in the KenPom era. At nearly 131 points per 100 possessions, they are outpacing the 2014-15 Wisconsin Badgers by 1.6 points.
Don't sleep on their 16th-ranked adjusted defensive efficiency (AdjD), driven by their stout ball pressure and rim dominance.
Since 2002, all but two champions have placed inside KenPom's top 20 of adjusted offensive and defensive metrics. The ones that cut down the nets are not only elite at both ends but can also generate extra possessions in numerous ways.
Click anywhere below to bet on Auburn futures odds. They're slightly ahead of Duke in the national title betting market.
- Related: Eli's Preseason Title Picks
2. will Flagg fly Away With Wooden Award?
While Broome can still catch Flagg, the five-star's Cooper Flagg -200 on DraftKings odds — indicating a 75% implied probability — tell a different story.
The only other D-I freshman in the last 15 years to average 25+ points with a 57.9% clip from the field in any month with five or more games is Zion Williamson, who did so in January and March 2019. Flagg accomplished this feat in January, and his two-way dexterity has also helped Duke rank third in AdjD nationally.
Every player in the Blue Devils' rotation is 6-foot-5 or taller, but it’s not just the length that makes Duke’s upper-class switching scheme function. Combine the toughness of guards Sion James and Kon Knueppel with the lateral speed of Khaman Maluach and Maliq Brown and Flagg’s ability to play free safety and cover plenty of floorboards.
Despite Saturday's loss at Clemson, they're cooking on the front burner in the lowly ACC.
3. What's Happened To UConn?
The two-time defending national champs have not lost much in terms of their 12th-ranked AdjO. However, the offseason exits of Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton, Stephon Castle, and Cam Spencer have proven deadly at the other end, given their 108th-ranked AdjD.
Granted, Liam McNeeley's month-long absence (high-ankle sprain) amplified those concerns. The Huskies' NCAA tournament ceiling will rise if McNeeley reasserts himself, but I wouldn't consider this a buy-low opportunity. Hopefully, their market rating is high enough to make them a worthy fade among March Madness odds and college basketball picks.
4. Purdue's prized possession
Former Boilermakers maven Zach Edey, winner of consecutive Wooden Awards, governed headlines (and my wallet) over the last two years. Taking into account their preseason expectations, one could debate they haven't missed a beat.
Once coined an Edey merchant, Braden Smith has exploded onto the scene as Purdue's alpha. For reference, 115 D-I players have scored 375+ points, 680 have tallied 105+ rebounds, and 16 have totaled 140+ assists. Smith is the only name to have a stake in all three categories.
There's no arguing that Matt Painter's crew has a lower floor in March without Edey's presence. Still, his tweak to trigger more defensive pressure via Smith and freshman C.J. Cox is a testament to Painter's coaching prowess.
5. my Final Four dark horse: Maryland Terrapins +800 on FanDuel
Speaking of the Big 10, I've defended Kevin Willard more than my own mother in recent years. It's finally paid off.
For my money, Willard possesses his best team ever, including the Myles Powell tenure at Seton Hall. According to BarTorvik, Maryland's efficiency and tempo compare to the Buddy Hield-led Oklahoma Sooners, which advanced to the final weekend of the 2015-16 campaign.
Unlike last year, the Terrapins have many marksmen to surround their dual-big lineup of veteran southpaw Julian Reese and do-it-all frosh Derik Queen. One is point guard Ja'Kobe Gillespie, who has manufactured a top-10 assist and steal rate among Big Ten players in league play.
With all six losses by two possessions or fewer, Maryland ranks 284th in KenPom's luck rating. Considering the lack of close-game luck, the Terps appear to have a higher ceiling than their 18-6 record suggests. They're projected to be favored in six of their final seven regular-season contests, so I consider this a solid buy-point on their Final Four futures.
Maryland's best price to advance to San Antonio is +2000, which is slightly worse odds than what I took a few weeks ago for my latest bet among potential college basketball futures picks.
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