NCAA Basketball: 5 best bets to win 2021-22 national championship

Illinois +4000 ($100 bet wins $4,000)

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I started scrolling on WynnBet’s website and didn’t land on the Illini until the teams at +4000. For comparison, the other teams at +4000 are Maryland and Louisville. With all due respect to those teams, Illinois is worlds above them. While there were many departures within the program, including its best player in Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois isn’t in the lousy predicament that so many make it seem like they’re in.

With Kofi Cockburn returning to Champaign, you’d be hard-pressed to find a team with a better center. On top of that, super senior Trent Frazier decided to exercise his fifth-year option and play one more season for Illinois. Frazier is an excellent two-way guard and will provide veteran leadership for a team looking to get a bad taste out of its mouth from last March.

Joining Frazier in the backcourt, Andre Curbelo is set to take control of the offense in a big way. The flashy sophomore point guard has an elite feel for the game and will excel with a higher usage rate this season. The Illini should also boast a deep bench this year after adding two solid transfers in Alfonso Plummer (Utah) and Omar Payne (Florida). Brad Underwood and Illinois have won the most conference games in the Big Ten over the last two years combined, and this year should not look any different.

The Illini will be right around the top of the Big Ten with Purdue and Michigan, which will position them nicely for another shot at a deep run. At 40-1, Illinois has long-shot odds for a team that isn’t a long-shot.