March Madness Final Four Predictions, Odds, Picks 2026: Duke and Houston Destined to Return?

• The Atlantic Coast Conference has had more appearances in the Final Four than any other conference (51).

• North Carolina holds the record for most appearances in the Final Four with 21, followed by Duke and UCLA with 18 and Kentucky with 17 (vacated appearances not included).

• Since the NCAA Tournament was established in 1939, over 100 teams have made it to the Final Four, and 37 have gone on to win the national championship.

Sportsbooks will post odds for teams to make the Final Four, which are, of course, subject to change throughout the season as teams win/lose games. On this page, we’ll keep you up to date on the latest Final Four odds and news as well as how to bet on them, which sportsbook(s) to target, our picks and predictions, and so much more!

March Madness Final Four Odds

Final Four odds are not available at the moment and probably will not be until the new season begins in November. You can be ready to bet on them once they are available by signing up for a new account with FanDuel Sportsbook and claiming your welcome promo: Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins.

March Madness Final Four Predictions

With the 2025 season still visible in the rear-view mirror, it is too soon for sportsbooks to have Final Four odds posted. But until those odds are posted, let’s talk about some of the teams we can probably count on making a hard push to the Final Four next season.

Duke and Houston will probably have the shortest odds once they get posted and are certainly worth betting on. Yes, they lost key players from last year’s Final Four squads, but we can rely on them to reload and be ready to make another push next season.

Other teams I’m keeping an eye on are BYU, Purdue, Louisville, Texas Tech, UConn, and St. John’s.

March Madness Final Four Picks

If odds were available today, the following four teams would be my Final Four picks:

• Duke: The Blue Devils are like Alabama during Nick Saban’s prime. You can count on them to reload in the offseason and be ready to compete once again in the following season.

• Houston: Kelvin Sampson has a good thing going on down in Houston. He’s losing a number of guys from the 2025 team, but has some excellent talent coming in to fill the void.

• St. John’s: 2025 was the ‘proof of concept’ season for St. John’s. Rick Pitino can guide them to the promised land, but will they follow? I think so.

• Texas Tech: This is kind of a long-shot pick, but I like what Grant McCasland is doing in Lubbock. Getting JT Toppin back certainly makes the Red Raiders an intriguing team to watch.

Bet $5 at FanDuel, Get $250 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins

How to Bet on the March Madness Final Four

There are several different ways in which you can bet on the Final Four. There are futures markets that will often be available to bettors throughout the season, giving people a chance to bet on whether a team will make the Final Four come Tournament time.

Then there’s the traditional betting line for games-- point spread, moneyline, and total. The spread requires favorites to win by more than a specified number of points or lose by less than that number, and you win your bet. The moneyline allows you to bet on the outright winner.

As for the total, fans can bet on whether the combined scores for both teams will be OVER or UNDER the listed TOTAL. Along with the traditional betting line, sportsbooks will also post odds for player, team, and game props for each Final Four game.

How to Read March Madness Final Four Odds

Futures odds will consist of three numbers, each with a + or – sign in front. Numbers with the + sign have less than a 50% chance of winning, but your payout is more significant when you do win. For example, if you put $100 on a market listed at +800 and it won, you’d receive a $900 payout, your stake ($100), and $800 in winnings.

But if there is a – sign in front, then the wager will have a better than 50% chance of winning. However, the payout is smaller. Let’s say you bet on a market with -800 odds. You’d need to risk $800 in order to win $100.

As for a traditional betting line, a spread listed with a – sign is for the favorite and a + sign for the underdog. Favorites need to win by more than the spread, while underdogs can win or lose by less than the spread and still win. Moneyline odds work just like futures odds. As for the total, the number listed is for the expected total score of the game when you add both teams' points together.

Where to Bet on the March Madness Final Four

The following are the top sportsbooks I use to bet on March Madness Final Four markets:

1. FanDuel: The odds at FanDuel are reliably competitive. The app is simple and easy to use, and you can bet on online via their website. I’m a massive fan of bonus bet promo offers, and I can often find new markets posted at FanDuel before anyone else. New users of FanDuel can claim the following welcome offer: Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins. No promo code is needed.

2. BetMGM: The app is solid, the odds are fine, and the website is a good option for betting and managing your account. But what puts BetMGM in my top choices is the deposit match offers I got throughout the last Tournament. Since I wasn’t required to bet my deposit before I could withdraw winnings, I never had to risk my own money. Use our promo code WSNSPORTS and claim the welcome conus at BetMGM: Get Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets*.

*Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l terms.

March Madness Final Four History

There can only be one national champion every year out of the 350+ DI men’s college basketball programs in the country. But only four teams can fight their way through the competition in their respective bracket and make it to the Final Four.

It’s not the ultimate goal, but it is still a pretty impressive accomplishment. The following table contains a list of the Final Four teams for the last 15 Tournaments: