The first round of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament begins Thursday and the Duke Blue Devils are drawing big bets to win it all.
Hours prior to the kick off of the Round of 64, BetMGM shared that a bettor placed half a million dollars on Duke to claim the national title.
Some March Madness bets of note reported by BetMGM:
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) March 20, 2025
-$500K on Duke to win the national championship at +350
-$100K on Florida to win at +900 pic.twitter.com/ySj3JEsblb
At +350 March Madness odds, the bettor would win $1.75 million.
One Nevada sports bettor placed a $100,000 wager at Caesars Sportsbook on Duke at +360 to cut down the nets and win their sixth national title all-time.
A bettor in Nevada wagered $100K on Duke (+360) to win the NCAAMB Championship 👀
— Caesars Sportsbook (@CaesarsSports) March 19, 2025
Potential Payout: $460K pic.twitter.com/vzf7BMo2CW
If successful, the bet would pay out $460,000.
Duke begins play Friday evening
The top-seeded and ACC champion Blue Devils (31-3) will face 16th-seeded and MAAC champion Mount St. Mary's (23-12) in the first round of the East Regional at 2:50 p.m. ET Friday at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The winner will advance to Sunday's second round to face Friday's winner between ninth-seeded Baylor (19-14) and eighth-seeded Mississippi State (21-12) at 12:15 p.m. ET in Raleigh.
"The Mount" already has one win in the tournament, having defeated 16th-seeded American University, 83-72, in the First Four at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio Wednesday night to advance.
Duke has won 11 straight games since a 77-71 road loss to Clemson on Feb. 8 and is either the favorite or co-favorite to win it all.
However, the big question is whether freshman forward phenom and certain NBA first-rounder Cooper Flagg will be able to play after hurting his ankle a week ago today in the ACC Tournament, an injury which had kept him out of the semifinals and final.
In 32 games started this season, Flagg has averaged 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.
Longshot bet placed for less money, bigger payout
Another Nevada bettor at Caesars Sportsbook placed a $8,000 bet on Gonzaga (+6,000) to win it all.
A bettor in Nevada wagered $8K on Gonzaga (+6000) to win the NCAAMB Tournament 🏆
— Caesars Sportsbook (@CaesarsSports) March 19, 2025
Potential Win: $480K pic.twitter.com/4GM0PM0OF1
Should the bettor's dream come true, it would cash out for $480,000!
Let the Madness begin!
