NCAA Basketball: 5 best bets to win 2021-22 national championship
By Tommy Farmer
Villanova +1500 ($100 bet wins $1,500)
Last season saw Villanova’s lofty expectations evaporate following Collin Gillespie’s season-ending injury in early March. They managed to advance to the Sweet 16 but didn’t have enough to get by the eventual champion Baylor Bears. Since those misfortunes several months ago, the Wildcats are back on the right track.
Gillespie announced he will take advantage of his opportunity to play for the program one last time as a super senior and has since been cleared for basketball activities. He was a freshman in 2018 when Villanova last won a National Championship, and he will be the guy for them this year as they hope to replicate that 2018 season.
Even with Jeremiah Robinson-Earl headed to the league, Nova returns multiple proven players from a season ago. Justin Moore and Jermaine Samuels both averaged double digits in 2020-2021 and figure to see their roles expanded this season without Robinson-Earl.
Having said all of that, a bet on Villanova is a bet more on Jay Wright and the culture he has established more than anything else. Coach Wright reloads his roster and develops his guys at an elite level, while also being an elite in-game coach. There hasn’t been a program better than Villanova for the last ten years, in my opinion.
If I was an AD starting a college basketball program and had my pick of any coach in the country, I’m picking Wright to lead my program. At +1500, I think Villanova is a solid bet to win their third title since 2016.