NCAA Basketball: Top 5 future bets (long shots) to win 2020 championship

#4 Colorado Buffaloes

110/1 (NCAA Basketball 2019-2020 top 5 future bets)

Out of the five teams I cover in this piece, this team is the biggest long shot but is a team we should not overlook. Tad Boyle might have his most talented team in his tenure entering his ninth season as head coach and there are “high” expectations for this team in Boulder. This is saying a lot considering the Buffs have had the likes of players such as Alec Burks, Andre Roberson, Spencer Dinwiddle and Derrick White, who have all played under Tad (all four currently in the NBA).

This team essentially brings everyone back from last season, including PG Mckinley Wright, who is the leader of this Buffs squad and went through successful shoulder surgery in the offseason. Tyler Bey is entering his second season, and this first-round NBA Draft prospect has amazing athleticism; however, Tyler struggled last year at times finishing at the rim and shooting outside. He will have a much improved year, assuming he has worked on perfecting these skills in the offseason, and most likely will declare and end up a first-round NBA draft pick. Maddox Daniels, a grad transfer from Florida Southwestern State College, will be a huge addition for this team, as he can stretch the floor with his three-point shooting. Daniels shot 43.1% from beyond the arc last season in JUCO. Shane Gatling, Lucas Siewart and Evan Battey are all returning from last season, and the Buffs will have a strong starting five.

At 110/1, this is a tremendous value play and maybe the market is overlooking a west coast team and some of their returning talent. Colorado, for the most part, is not a team you ever really consider to make a deep run in the tournament, and a team that is not on the map within the college basketball landscape. This Buffs’ team reminds me a lot of a South Carolina squad from 2016-2017, that made the NIT the previous year, is coming out of a power conference, and one that is not a household name in the college basketball ranks (all similarities to the Buffs this upcoming season). The Gamecocks were led by head coach Frank Martin and made a run all the way to the Final Four.

Lack of experience certainly got the best of this Colorado team last year, but the strides they made throughout the second half of the year are very promising and lack of experience won’t be an issue this year. According to Barrtovik.com, the Buffs returning 94.1% of their returning players, which ranks fifth out of 353 teams. Tad Boyle is a very underrated coach in my eyes and is outstanding in the player development category. Roll Tad and Sko Buffs (as they say in Boulder), and play the Buffs at 110/1.