Kentucky has the 6th best title odds—is a Final Four run on deck?
The Mark Pope era at Kentucky is still in its early chapters, but the betting markets are already buying in. According to newly released odds from FanDuel, Kentucky enters the 2025-26 season with the sixth-best chance to win the national championship.
Here’s the current top of the board:
- Purdue: +1000
- Houston: +1000
- Duke: +1300
- Kansas: +1600
- Florida: +1700
- Kentucky: +1700
The odds suggest that UK is viewed as a real contender to not only reach the Final Four but to cut down the nets as well. The 2026 Final Four will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana at Lucas Oil Field. That is kind of fitting, as the Cats 2025 season came to a halt in the same building in the Sweet 16.
To be clear: +1700 means a $100 bet would return $1,700 if Kentucky cuts down the nets in April. The odds reflect implied probability—but also momentum, recruiting results, and the growing belief that Pope’s roster overhaul could yield fast results. Just a month ago, Kentucky's odds sat at +2000 meaning betters now have more belief in Kentucky than they did then.
Kentucky's 2025-26 team will look drastically different from the 2025 team who won with a lot of great shooting, but defense was left lacking at times.. With a great incoming transfer class, elite freshman guard Jasper Johnson, and potential lottery pick Jayden Quaintance, Pope has reloaded, not rebuilt.
Now comes the real question: Can he make it gel?
Chemistry, health, and defensive consistency will all be tested early, but Pope's willingness to adapt his identity is expected to modernize Kentucky’s approach each and every year—and Vegas is clearly intrigued.
There’s still a long road to Indy, but for now, the Wildcats are officially in the mix. And for a program that hasn't made the Final Four since 2015, just being back in the conversation feels like the right kind of progress.