Despite a down year during the 2023-24 campaign, UCLA men’s basketball has relatively high odds to win the NCAA national championship in 2025. The Bruins finished with a lackluster 16-17 record and failed to even qualify for the Pac-12 Tournament, well below the high standards for the program. Just a few months after that dismal end to the season, the Bruins are tied for the 14th-best odds to win next year’s championship with +4000 (or 40/1) odds, per Bet Online.

The Bruins are tied with Tennessee and Purdue in 14th with +4000 odds. Ahead of the Bruins, Alabama has the best odds at +800, while the two-time defending champions UConn rank closely in second with +900 odds. Kansas is third with +1000 odds while Duke and Houston are tied for fourth with +1400 odds. Gonzaga, UNC, Baylor, Arkansas, Iowa State, Auburn, Arizona, and Kentucky also rank ahead of UCLA.

UCLA of course jumped in the rankings after a crucial offseason in which the team completely revamped their roster. The Bruins brought in key transfers including former Louisville Cardinal Skyy Clark, former LMU star Dominick Harris, former USC Trojan Kobe Johnson, former Oklahoma State Cowboy Eric Dailey, former Oregon State Beaver Tyler Bilodeau and former South Dakota State stud William Kyle.

Along with their transfer class, the Bruins are bringing in a pair of four-star recruits in Trent Perry and Eric Freeny. Perry was a huge pickip for head coach Mick Cronin, as he switched his commitment from USC to UCLA late and is a star local prospect.

Of course, the Bruins will have to prove that their revamped roster can put them into title contention once the regular season begins. Until then, they are simply potential.

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