NCAA Basketball: Who Are The Early Favorites To Win the 2019 National Championship?
The odds for next year’s National Championship on April 8, 2019 have been released. Here are the NCAA Basketball teams with the best odds to win it all in 2018-19.
The 2018 National Champions have been crowned, so it’s never too early to discuss next year’s favorite. The 2018-19 college basketball season is destined to be better than last years with a strong crop of recruits hitting campuses all over the country.
All eyes will be on the Duke Blue Devils as they boast one of the best recruiting classes in school history. Then always right below them are the Kentucky Wildcats. As usual, head coach John Calipari has a new rotation of recruits ready to plug-and-play into his on-court philosophy.
The national championship went to the Villanova Wildcats once again this season, so it’s no surprise they’re also an early favorite to repeat as champions. The other two teams are also familiar faces in the college basketball world.
5. North Carolina Tar Heels (12/1)
The North Carolina Tar Heels are an early favorite to win it all in 2018-19 but some things need to fall in their favor. Forward Luke Maye is currently testing the NBA Draft waters but he hasn’t hired an agent. He has until May 30 to decide if he returns to school, if he does, he adds some strength to the Tar Heels frontcourt. If not, they could be in for another early exit next March.
Senior Cameron Johnson still gives North Carolina a solid scoring option to work around next season. Add five-star prospect Nasir Little to the mix and the potential for a run in March is certainly there.
4. Villanova Wildcats (8/1)
The Villanova Wildcats ran away with the 2018 National Championship. They’ve won a national title in two of the last three seasons under head coach Jay Wright. Wright has done his winning in unorthodox fashion, boasting a roster laden with juniors and seniors instead of freshman and sophomores.
Granted, this year’s hero in the championship was redshirt sophomore Donte DiVincenzo, but it’s given DiVicenzo an opportunity to see where he stands among other NBA prospects by testing the draft waters. Don’t sleep on Villanova in March, so they’re fourth in the way-too-early national championship predictions.
3. Kansas Jayhawks (8/1)
The Kansas Jayhawks lost in the Final Four in 2017-18 but they should be right back in the fold with a number of top recruits on the way. Their biggest additions will be 6-foot-9 big man David McCormack and 6-foot-5 combo guard Quentin Grimes. Both players were highly-rated and highly-recruited coming out of high school. They’ve got tons of offense to add in a team in desperate need of scoring options.
They’ll need to replace Malik Newman, Svi Mykhailiuk and Devonte Graham but that’s what recruiting is for. Head coach Bill Self will have a young squad on his hands next season but he looks to be up for the challenge.
2. Kentucky Wildcats (8/1)
Head coach John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats had an interesting season in 2017-18, suffering double-digit losses for the first time since 2013-14. They lost to the Kansas State Wildcats last March so it’s no surprise Calipari is looking to reload on the recruiting trail.
Incoming next season are E.J. Montgomery, Immanuel Quickley, Keldon Johnson, Tyler Herro and 2019 point guard Ashton Hagans, who Calipari hopes can reclassify into the 2018 class. This year’s class, even without the addition of Hagans, are a crop of big guards with NBA-ready bodies already. We’ll see if Kentucky can turn it into a national title run.
1. Duke Blue Devils (5/1)
R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish, Zyan Williamson and Tre Jones all represent a new era in Duke Blue Devils basketball. Barrett is the consensus No. 1 player in most recruiting outlets while Reddish and Williamson are No. 2 and 3 respectively. The Blue Devils are stacked for 2018-19 and all eyes will be on them to produce a national title.
Duke lost to Kansas in the Elite 8 last March so expect them to make another deep run this upcoming season. Barrett, Reddish and Williamson all have the versatility to give opposing defenses nightmares. Coach K just has to implement his philosophy and preach unselfish play.