The 2026-27 college basketball season tips off Sunday in Rome, Italy, with Notre Dame facing Villanova, followed by marquee matchups on Monday including No. 14 Miami vs. No. 1 Florida in Tampa and No. 5 Arizona vs. No. 22 UCLA in Las Vegas. The national championship game will be held in Detroit this spring. Defending champion Michigan enters a post-Dusty May era, while Florida aims for a second title in three years with a returning core. Questions surround Jon Scheyer's quest for a first title at Duke and whether this is Bill Self's final season at Kansas. CBS Sports has named Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. as preseason Player of the Year and Kansas freshman Tyran Stokes, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft, as preseason Freshman of the Year.
National Championship Odds
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Duke opens as the favorite at +500, followed by Florida at +600 and Connecticut at +1200. Other top contenders include Illinois (+1400), Arizona (+1600), Michigan State (+2000), Texas and Texas Tech (both +2200), and Louisville and Arkansas (both +2500). A long list of teams follows, with odds ranging from +3000 for programs like St. John's, Virginia, Houston, Gonzaga, Kansas, and Tennessee up to +25000 for numerous others including Notre Dame, Georgetown, and Stanford.
Conference Regular-Season Predictions
ACC: Duke is the heavy favorite at -136, with Miami offered as a value pick at +770. Big East: UConn leads at +138, while St. John's is the value choice at +270. Big 12: Arizona is favored at +215, with Texas Tech at +840 as a value pick contingent on health and eligibility. Big Ten: Illinois tops the board at +144, with USC at +2600 as a dark horse. SEC: Florida is the clear favorite at +112, while Arkansas at +1250 represents a value selection.
National Player of the Year Race
FanDuel Sportsbook lists Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. as the early favorite at +850, followed by Kansas' Tyran Stokes (+1100), Vanderbilt's Tyler Tanner (+1200), and Florida's Thomas Haugh (+1400). Other notable names include UConn's Braylon Mullins and Duke's Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje (both +1900), Arkansas' Jordan Smith Jr. and Illinois' David Mirkovic (both +2200), and UCLA's Nikola Kusturica (+3000). The article's author selects Haugh as the top pick, citing his all-around game on a loaded Florida roster, while Boumtje Boumtje is highlighted as a value pick at +1900 due to his two-way impact as a 7-foot-2 freshman ineligible for the 2027 NBA Draft.
