Auburn is the No. 1 overall seed, but sportsbooks have 1-seed Duke pegged as the team to beat in the men's NCAA basketball tournament despite Cooper Flagg's injury.
The Blue Devils are the consensus betting favorites to win the national championship, listed at around +300 at sportsbooks, even with Flagg trying to come back from an ankle injury sustained last week. No. 1 seeds Florida and Houston, along with Auburn, round out the teams with title odds shorter than +1000 at ESPN BET.
Flagg, a freshman star, injured an ankle in the Blue Devils' first game in the ACC tournament and did not return as Duke went on to win the event.
Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer said on Sunday night that the goal is for Flagg to play on Friday.
Duke, the top seed in the East Region, on Friday will face the winner of the American-Mount St. Mary's play-in game in the first round.
This is the first time Duke has been the consensus favorite entering the tournament since 2019, according to ESPN Research. The Blue Devils, who were listed at +320 on ESPN BET after the bracket was released Sunday, have the shortest odds of any pre-tournament favorite since Gonzaga in 2021.
More bets and more money were wagered on the Blue Devils to win the national championship during the regular season than any other team at multiple sportsbooks.
"Duke's a pretty good hazard for us," Johnny Avello, sportsbook director for DraftKings, told ESPN. "They [customers] bet them all year long."
Oddsmakers believe SEC teams pose the biggest threat to the Blue Devils. Four of the top six teams in ESPN BET's odds to win the national title are from the SEC, with Alabama and Tennessee joining Auburn and Florida. The Gators moved ahead of Auburn with the second-best national championship odds after winning the SEC tournament. Florida also attracted the largest reported national title bet at BetMGM sportsbooks -- a $100,000 wager at +900, placed by a bettor on March 6 that would win a net $900,000.