Six months ago, Connecticut won its national championship trophy. Now, the landscape of men’s college basketball looks quite different. Previously, Kyle Filipowski looked like a first-round draft pick. Zach Edey was projected to be selected by an NBA team. At the same time, Hunter Dickinson was being pursued by a long list of schools. While top-five recruit Ron Holland was going to play college basketball. Now, the College basketball betting odds dust has completely settled from the transfer portal, flips, and the roster machinations in between.
On the whole, Duke has the edge. The Blue Devils have three players (Filipowski, Tyrese Proctor, and Jared McCain) projected to be selected in the top 20 of the 2024 NBA draft. Additionally, Mark Mitchell should go in the early second round. Meanwhile, Kansas has just one such player (Elmarko Jackson) per most mock drafts.
Still, in terms of proven offshore betting quality at the college level, the Jayhawks are loaded. Dickinson is a preseason All-American. In turn, he is the biggest threat to Edey’s chances of repeating as the Wooden Award winner. At the same time, Dajuan Harris Jr. and Kevin McCullar Jr. are among the best players in the country at their positions. Thus, entering the 2023-24 season, gamblers like KU’s experience and coach Bill Self. Bettors are expected to go with the Jayhawks atop the rankings.
2023-24 Top Teams of College Basketball
Kansas Jayhawks
While the incoming players, most notably Hunter Dickinson, are getting most of the attention, there is more to KU. Starting with the returning trio of Dajuan Harris Jr., Kevin McCullar Jr., and K.J. Adams Jr., All of that makes the Jayhawks a national championship contender.
Harris is one of the elite pass-first guards in the country and a terrific defender. At the same time, McCullar is versatile and defends. Although Adams’ role will change next to Dickinson, he was one of the breakout stars of 2022-23. Hence, he should take an even bigger College basketball lines step this year. Dickinson’s arrival gives Bill Self one of the most dominant players in college basketball. And he is an anchor around which to build his offense.
Duke Blue Devils
Certainly, Kyle Filipowski’s return to Durham put the Blue Devils in a close contest with Kansas for the preseason No. 1 spot. Consider he is a potential first-team All-American. And then a likely draft lottery pick who was one of the best freshmen in the country in 2022-23. Jon Scheyer also has two first-rounders in the backcourt. Sophomore Tyrese Proctor and Jared McCain rank as a top tandem. Additional experience comes at point guard with Jeremy Roach.
Purdue Boilermakers
Accordingly, the 2022-23 season is all about Zach Edey in West Lafayette. The reigning Wooden Award winner is the heavy favorite to repeat as the best player in men’s college basketball. Most important of all, his deadline-day decision to return to the Boilermakers makes them the Big Ten favorite. Also, the supporting cast remains intact. Matt Painter will have all five starters back from a squad that won the Big Ten regular-season and conference tournament championships.
Of course, the 2022-23 Boilermakers earned a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament. Of great concern is how Purdue imploded in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. March Madness flops have been a perpetual Painter problem. Correlate that Smith and Fletcher Loyer will have to become more consistent to take the next step.