Three long shot picks to win the 2025 NCAA Tournament

The field for the 2025 NCAA Tournament will be set Sunday evening, but bettors might want to beat the rush by scooping up a few futures tickets before the bracket gets finalized. It’s a bit of a dangerous game to bet an outright winner before we see their draw, but there are potential advantages to scooping up a couple of long shots before the Selection Sunday broadcast gets off the air. For one, if you think a long shot has sleeper potential, there likely will be a lot of other folks who feel the same way.Some of whom might even be on the Selection Sunday broadcast.

As soon as word gets out about your sleeper, the number will come down and you’ll lose value. The other reason to bet a team before the bracket gets released is because they may get lucky with their draw or wind up with a higher seed than projected.The obvious downside is it goes the other way, but that’s why it’s called gambling. This year’s tournament does seem top heavy, but the general consensus is that things tighten up after Duke (with Cooper Flagg, who is battling a sprained left ankle), Auburn, Houston and Florida.

If we see a couple of the heavyweights go down, there are a host of teams that can take advantage and make a run to the Final Four. I’ve highlighted my three favorite long shots based on their price: The Red Raiders finished second in the Big 12, have a host of impressive wins on their résumé and are the No.7 team in KenPom’s rankings. It’s hard to poke any holes in the Red Raiders’ statistical profile, but a middling stretch to close the regular season is causing them to fly under the radar a bit, even though they’re projected to be a No.

2 seed in the tournament.Getting 40/1 on a team this good feels like a gift. There are a few reasons why Gonzaga is flying under the radar right now.

For one, college basketball fans are used to the Bulldogs disappointing in the tournament.The Zags have never won the big one, despite being favored to do so on a few...