There is a tradition at the end of each college basketball season. Once One Shining Moment ends, analysts smash “Publish” on “Way-Too-Early” Top 25 lists. It’s never way too early to forecast how your team might stack up next season. This year, the bookmakers are getting ahead of the media. Las Vegas already has 2026 National Championship odds.
Before diving into the odds, let’s get a hard truth out there. Mark Pope will be entering his second season at Kentucky in what will be the 11th year of a Final Four drought. There’s only been one longer in program history. John Calipari ended a 13-year drought in his second season at Kentucky.
There’s another hard pill to swallow in the National Championship department. Between Tubby Smith’s title and John Calipari’s title, 14 years elapsed. Next season will be 14 years removed from the 2012 National Championship.
Mark Pope received grace from Kentucky fans in year one. He is one of us. Almost the entire roster had to come from the transfer portal. The SEC was the toughest it’s ever been. Pope exceeded expectations with a record eight wins over Top 15 opponents before ultimately falling in the Sweet 16. That was good for that year, but reaching the second weekend is the expectation for Big Blue Nation. He ended that drought. Now we’re thirsty to end another.
FanDuel National Championship Odds
Kentucky is among the Top 10 choices by FanDuel, tied with Alabama, UConn, and Arkansas at +1800. Louisville is third, only behind Houston and Duke, after adding impressive pieces to the backcourt early in the transfer portal.
| Team | Odds |
| Duke | +950 |
| Houston | +1200 |
| Louisville | +1400 |
| Purdue | +1400 |
| BYU | +1500 |
| Auburn | +1700 |
| Arkansas | +1800 |
| Kentucky | +1800 |
| UConn | +1800 |
| Alabama | +1800 |
| Kansas | +2000 |
| Florida | +2500 |
| Texas Tech | +2500 |
| Michigan | +2500 |
| St. John’s | +2500 |
DraftKings National Championship Odds
If you’re all-in on Mark Pope in year two at Kentucky, you can better juice over at DraftKings. That sportsbook has UK at 20-1 to win the 2026 National Championship.
| Team | Odds |
| Duke | +1000 |
| Houston | +1200 |
| UConn | +1400 |
| BYU | +1600 |
| Purdue | +1800 |
| St. John’s | +1800 |
| Kansas | +2000 |
| Kentucky | +2000 |
| Arkansas | +2000 |
| Louisville | +2200 |
| Texas Tech | +2200 |
| Florida | +2500 |
| Auburn | +2500 |
| Michigan | +2500 |
| Alabama | +2500 |
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The post Las Vegas Handicaps Kentucky in 2026 National Championship Odds appeared first on On3.