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

#2 Washington Huskies

65/1 (NCAA Basketball 2019-2020 top 5 future bets)

The Huskies certainly surprised me last March Madness, easily beating number eight seed Utah State in the first round of the tournament. The next round didn’t treat them as well facing the Tar Heels, but hopefully, the Huskies can build off of last season’s tournament appearance. Mike Hopkins enters his third season as head coach and has this team going in the right direction. Noah Dickerson, David Crisp, Matisse Thybulle and Jaylen Nowell have all departed, who were the top four scorers last season. You might be asking why I am so high on this team with a lot of the scorers from last year leaving, and the answer to that is the two top-10 recruits the Huskies landed in the offseason.

Isaiah Stewart, #3 overall, and Jaden McDaniels, #8 overall prospects (according to 247Sports), will be huge additions to this team and there is plenty of hype surrounding these two incoming freshmen. These two McDonald’s All-Americans were being recruited from the likes of Michigan State, Duke and Kentucky (McDaniels turned down an offer from Kentucky). Expect both players to start and have significant roles on this team immediately. RaeQuan Battle is another notable recruit added to this Huskie’s team. Hameir Wright and Sam Timmins also return, who bring back some size in the interior. Quade Green is another new addition to this team, who transferred from Kentucky, and is a fifth-year senior. This 6-foot senior point guard will bring an outside threat to this team and will help replace the scoring of a guy like David Crisp.

65/1 is where this team currently sits on winning the tournament this upcoming season, and I am excited to see what Mike Hopkins can do with a team loaded with talent. The Huskies will be a sneaky pick this season to make a deep run in the tournament and will make some noise throughout this season. On paper, this team has plenty of talent and it will just depend on how the new additions and existing pieces can all mesh together. The ceiling is so high for this team, and they should be able to compete for the Pac-12 crown. Bank on the Huskies making the tournament and making a significant run in the big dance. I wouldn’t be surprised if the odds drop all the way down to 25/1 here, which gives you excellent value with this bet.