Pope Leo XIV Sparks Villanova Betting Surge for NCAA Title
The election of Villanova graduate Pope Leo XIV triggered a massive wave of bets on the Wildcats to win the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball championship, first reported by The New York Times.
A Divine Boost for Villanova Bets
When Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a 1977 Villanova math graduate, became Pope Leo XIV, bettors swarmed sportsbooks, pouring cash into the Wildcats’ odds to win the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball championship.
The New York Times first spotlighted this “New Pope Effect,” noting a frenzy of wagers not just on Villanova but also on Chicago teams like the Bears and Cubs, tied to the pope’s hometown.
“The interest in Villanova basketball picked up pretty much as soon as we saw the white smoke,” said Adam Landeka, vice president of strategy and development at ESPN BET, highlighting the near-instant spike in bets after the white smoke signaled Prevost’s election.
From Longshot to Hot Pick
Before Pope Leo XIV’s election, Villanova was a blip on the betting radar, holding less than 1% of championship wagers at BetMGM. Within 24 hours of the announcement, the Wildcats snagged 22% of all men’s basketball title bets on the platform, a jaw-dropping leap for a team that’s missed the NCAA tournament the past three seasons.
“While the Bears and Cubs also saw an uptick in futures betting, the action on Villanova is most notable, with more than 50 percent of bets and nearly a third of all handle on next year’s NCAA men’s champion coming in on the Wildcats,” Landeka noted.
The betting app Pikkit reported Villanova soaking up 70% of tracked championship bets and 40% of the money across sportsbooks, making it the second-most bet team behind Purdue.
Why Villanova? The Pope Connection
Pope Leo XIV’s Villanova roots are fueling this betting fever. As a Chicago native and Wildcats alum, Prevost’s election sparked a wave of sentimental wagers, with bettors seeing divine intervention in Villanova’s +8000 odds.
The team’s Catholic ties, linked to the Augustinian order shared with the pope, add to the vibe, especially after their 2016 NCAA title as the first Catholic school to win since 1985.
The surge is a “leap of faith,” as one source put it, given Villanova’s recent tournament droughts, but the pope’s alma mater status has bettors dreaming of a miracle run in a 68-team field.
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