This article is part of our College Basketball Picks series.
The 2023-24 college basketball season is about to tip off, and hope springs eternal for mid-majors like Bradley, Charleston, Furman, Utah Valley and Virginia Commonwealth. Who is going to be the next FAU, rising from the ashes to make an unexpected run in the NCAA Tournament, making the jump from also-ran to surprising elite?
Well, after a topsy-turvy NCAA Tournament last spring, you can bet that the blue bloods and the real elite will have a little something to say about these newcomers trying to crash the party. Although, somehow and some way, FAU was able to keep the band back together despite the specter of the transfer portal.
In any event, we'll be taking a look at some of the best futures bets, from national championship odds to Wooden Award odds, etc. We'll try and build that bankroll, getting well into the black, padding the account for another run in the NCAA Tournament.
Odds courtesy of FanDuel.
National Championship Odds
Looking at the national champion odds, we have the traditional names littering the field. Duke, Kansas and Purdue are the chalk at +1100, and you have to like what the Jayhawks did adding Hunter Dickinson via the transfer portal. More on him in a minute.
Purdue received huge news in the offseason when Zach Edey elected to forgo the NBA Draft and stay in school. That immediately make the Boilermakers the insta-fave in the Big Ten Tournament, and their odds of winning that league stand at +160, although Michigan State (+290) will certainly have a lot to say about that. But the Boilermakers bowed out to Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round last season, despite having Edey. How does that happen? If Purdue couldn't beat smallish FDU, can they really be taken seriously?
In choosing from among the three chalk teams, it's Duke. They have Kyle Filipowski, the ACC Freshman of the Year, and he should have an even larger role with Dereck Lively II electing to leave school early and ply his trade in the NBA. Filipowski will pair with future NBA lottery pick Tyrese Proctor for a nice one-two punch. But that isn't all, as head coach Jon Scheyer was able to wrangle five-star freshmen prospects Jared McCain and TJ Power. Oh, and he scored Cooper Flagg from the state of Maine, for next season.
Anyway, Duke is loaded this season, and Scheyer should have much smoother sailing in his second season, after adjusting to the giant shoes of Coach K last season following the legend's retirement.
CBB Futures Chalk Pick: Duke +1100
If you're looking for a team with slightly longer odds but with a chance to make some huge waves, well, if they bordered an ocean, the team to go with is Arizona (+2500).
The Wildcats should thank Purdue for its lost to FDU, as not many remember Arizona wetting the bed against double-digit seed Princeton after winning the Pac-12 Tournament.
The Wildcats do have to replace the towering Azuolas Tubelis, as well as veteran guard Kerr Kriisa. But the backcourt is in good hands with Caleb Love coming over via the portal from North Carolina. Arizona also added Keshad Johnson from the national runner-up San Diego State Aztecs, as well as Jaden Bradley from Alabama. Those are some big-time portal adds, joining the hulking Oumar Ballo in the middle. This Arizona roster has amazing size with four players over 7-foot tall.
CBB Futures Pick: Arizona +2500
John R. Wooden Award Odds
The Wooden Award goes to the national player of the year in college basketball. There are several candidates that you'll want to own stock in, and it's a good idea to get in on these guys before the season begins, as hot starters are likely to see their return shrink significantly.
Edey (+155) is the odds-on favorite, but it's also November. Never bet the chalk in this instance, as there are so many amazing players listed who could easily do what he does, and they provide much better values.
If anything, roll with Dickinson (+750), now at Kansas, as he gives you five times the return of Edey. He was simply amazing during his time at Michigan, but he wanted more. He put up 17+ points and 8+ rebounds per game in three seasons with the Wolverines, so he is very seasoned. And while he was certainly not a secret at Michigan, that was a team which limped to the NIT. At Kansas, he'll be at a marquee program with legitimate national title hopes, and that's going to serve him well in his bid to hoist the hardware.
College Basketball Futures Pick: Dickinson +750
Another transfer who made a huge splash in the transfer portal is Max Abmas. He burst onto the scene in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, helping Oral Roberts make a run to the Sweet 16. Abmas was the leading scorer in the nation in 2020-21, and he is the two-time Summit League Player of the Year in 2021 and 2023.
Abmas can fill up the bucket, ending up ninth in scoring last season for the Eagles at 21.9 PPG, while hitting 37.3 percent from behind the arc. It will be interesting seeing how he goes from a smaller school in Oklahoma, against smallish teams, to the big-time of the Big 12 in Austin. If the NCAA Tournament games are indication, the sharpshooter will be just fine.
If anything, teams won't simply be able to keep on attempting to stop Abmas. He'll be in the backcourt with the talented Tyrese Hunter, while the team has Dylan Disu, prospect Ron Holland and Kadin Shedrick to contend with, among others.
Abmas has already gotten his flowers from past March successes with ORU, but the more mainstream fans are going to get a chance to get to know him, and they might be getting to know the latest Wooden Award winner.
College Basketball Futures Pick: Abmas +2500
College Basketball Futures Best Bets:
Here's a recap of my best college basketball bets for Saturday:
- Duke National Champions +1100
- Arizona National Champions +2500
- Hunter Dickinson NPOY +750
- Max Abmas NPOY +2500
For up-to-date information on the latest college basketball odds and props from multiple sportsbooks, check out the College Basketball odds page on RotoWire.
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