We’re under a month away from the college basketball season. It’s always hard to navigate through each team at the beginning of the year.
The transfer portal is going absolutely nuts. Players are transferring out of the blue everywhere. Then there are top-tier freshmen, whom most of us have never heard of. What if those guys become the next big prospect in basketball?
Unless you’re in the know, it can be really hard to make a wager on a National Champion in October, but we’ll try anyway. Here’s a 2023 National Championship Odds Update prior to the season beginning.
Tier 1:
These are the top four teams in college basketball as of now:
- Gonzaga +900
- Houston +900
- Kentucky +900
- North Carolina +900
Gonzaga, Houston, Kentucky, and North Carolina are projected to be the top four teams in college basketball this season. I’m not looking at AP rankings. I’m strictly looking at oddsmakers’ odds for National Championship contenders.
These are the four teams with the highest probability of winning the National Championship. At most of our top-rated sportsbooks, all four of these teams have +900 odds, give or take.
North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina will have Pete Nance replace Brady Manek. The rest of the team is pretty much what we saw last year. The Tar Heels got better as the season progressed and made the NCAA Championship against Kansas.
Caleb Love, R.J. Davis, Leaky Black, Pete Nance, and Armando Bacot would round out that starting five. That’s a tough out for any team this year.
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Meanwhile, Gonzaga brought in some intriguing transfers like Malachi Smith, and Efton Reid. Smith figure to start at shooting guard but Reid might have to come off the bench.
Still, this team has a lot of depth with Nolan Hickman, Hunter Sallis, Rasir Bolton, Julian Strawther, and Drew Timme returning.
Houston Cougars
Houston lost Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark to injuries last season. Those two will be back along with Jamal Shead and J’Wan Roberts.
Jarace Walker will more than likely start as a freshman and should ultimately be a top pick in the NBA draft next season.
Kentucky Wildcats
Finally, Kentucky’s got an intriguing team. Sahvir Wheeler will start at guard. Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston will probably start as freshmen. Both were top 100 recruits.
Jacob Toppin and Oscar Tshiebwe will round out the forward and center spot.
Tier 2:
- Kansas +1300
- Duke +1400
- Baylor +1500
- Arkansas +1500
- UCLA +1600
Duke Blue Devils
Duke will likely start Jeremy Roach at point guard. They’ll have Jacob Grandison at small forward, who transferred from Illinois. And then the rest of the lineup will be major freshmen recruits such as Dariq Whitehead, Kyle Filipowski, and Dereck Lively.
Duke could be insane this year. Time will tell.
Kansas Jayhawks
Meanwhile, Kansas will have to replace its National Championship stars. They’ll still have Dajuan Harris and Jalen Wilson but have added Kevin McCullar from Texas Tech and will rely on two major freshmen recruits in Gradey Dick and Ernest Udeh.
Baylor Bears
Baylor’s still got three players returning in the starting lineup. Adam Flagler will likely start at guard. LJ Cryer and Flo Thamba should also be back.
The Bears added Jalen Bridges from West Virginia, who should make a true impact. They’ll also have Keyonte George, who is a major recruit and a probable starter for Baylor.
Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas, on the other hand, is hit-or-miss. There are a lot of questions but this team could be legitimate.
Anthony Black, Nick Smith, and Jordan Walsh will come into this season as top freshmen for Arkansas. The Razorbacks also added Trevon Brazile from Missouri and Ricky Council IV from Wichita State.
I’d be careful with Arkansas. I’m not sure how this is going to play out.
UCLA Bruins
Finally, there’s UCLA. They’ll have Tyger Campbell return along with Jaylen Clark and Jaime Jaquez. Amari Bailey and Adem Bona could get starts as freshmen for this team. They’re two very highly regarded players coming in.
Other Odds to Consider:
- Arizona +2000
- Texas +2200
- Creighton +2500
- Texas Tech +3000
- Michigan +3000
- Tennessee +3500
- Indiana +3500
- Villanova +4000
- Illinois +4000
- Purdue +4500
- Auburn +4500
- TCU +5000
- Oregon +5000
- Alabama +5000
Sleeper Team: Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana’s got a lot of returning players to go along with a top prospect like Jalen Hood-Schifino. The Hoosiers will have Xavier Johnson, Miller Kopp, Race Thompson, and Trayce Jackson-Davis returning. Those returners, other than Kopp, averaged over 10 points per game.
If Kopp catches fire from downtown, he’s a guy who is very capable of hitting three-point shots. Indiana not only has Hood-Schifino coming in, but they’ll also have another top prospect in Malik Reneau.
If you like experience, Indiana’s your team.
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