NCAA Basketball 2018-2019 Odds – Some of the books are carrying futures for the NCAA 2018-2019 college basketball National Champions.
Fast forward to next March and the greatest tournament in sports will give us a champion and right now the top 3 choices are powerhouse programs Duke, Kentucky and Kansas with Gonzaga popping up in the four spot and the defending national champions Villanova rated fifth.
NCAA Basketball 2018-2019 Odds
Last year, Duke entered the NCAA tournament as a #2 seed and they advanced to the round of eight before falling to #1 seed Kansas. Gone are lottery pick Marvin Bagley III and the hard nosed Grayson Allen, but Duke has reloaded with five blue chip prospects, including 3 of the top 5 players in the 2018 incoming class.
Shooting guard RJ Barrett, small forward Cameron Reddish and power forward Zion Williamson will all come in and start right away. Barrett and Reddish were the #1 and #2 ranked recruits overall this year and it might be the #5 ranked Williamson who has the most intrigue, with his massive 6’6, 275 pound frame.
Kansas added a pair of blue chip prospects of it’s own as point guard Devon Dotson and combo guard Quentins Grimes were both rated in the top 25 in the nation. Kansas got an additional boost when it was announced that guard Lagerald Vick would be returning for his senior season. Vick was a starter on last year’s runner-up and though he declared for the draft, he withdrew his name. Kansas had moved on from him but his return brings a talented player back with three years of experience. If Vick is able to bring the right attitude as well as on court presence, he can greatly help his stock heading into next year’s draft, and more importantly he will help Kansas win now.
Kentucky brings in five blue chippers, led by the trio of Ashton Hagans, Keldon Johnson and EJ Montegomery, all of whom rated in the top 15 for the class. John Calipari’s annual re-load has Kentucky rated at the top of pre-season polls yet again.
Gonzaga is intriguing as they have been in the mix for several years now. They made the Elite Eight in 2016-2017 and were back in the Sweet 16 last year. Returning are starters Zach Norvell Jr. (Sophomore, 12.7 ppg), Josh Perkins (Sophomore, 12.3 ppg), and K.J. Tillie (Junior, 12.9 ppg) and that gives them experience that other teams won’t have. also adding to the experience factor is San Jose State transfer Brandon Clarke, who is entering his junior season.
The last of the top 5 “seeds” is defending champion Villanova, who has won 2 titles in three years. Their recruiting class took in point guard Jahvon Quinerly as well as power forward Cole Swider and small forward Brandon Slater. The return of Eric Paschall, Omari Spellman, junior Phil Booth and soph point guard Collin Gillespie will give them a team with national title experience. November 14th sees ‘Nova rematch Michigan to officially kick off the 2018-2019 season.
Below are the current odds listed at one of the sport books for your review.
NCAA Men’s Basketball National Champion 2018/19
National Champion – U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN – April 8, 2019
Duke +550
Kansas +750
Kentucky +800
Gonzaga +850
Villanova +900
Nevada +1200
North Carolina +1400
Virginia +2000
Michigan State +2500
Michigan +2800
Oregon +3500
Auburn +4000
UCLA +4000
West Virginia +4000
Tennessee +4500
NCAA Basketball 2018-2019 Odds / Into boxing as well? Check out more boxing news and features at The Sweet Science.
[related_post_one]
The Major League Baseball season is front and center. Check out the games daily!
