NCAA Basketball: 5 best bets to win 2022-23 national championship

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - JANUARY 06: Trayce Jackson-Davis #23 and Trey Galloway #32 of the Indiana Hoosiers celebrate during the 67-51 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on January 06, 2022 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

2 of 5

NCAA Basketball Jon Scheyer (R) of the Duke Blue Devils Jeremy Roach (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

4. Duke Blue Devils – +1300

Duke currently has the 6th-best odds to win the NCAA Basketball national championship. There are definitely pros and cons with that position but expect them to get a lot of bets anyways. They did make a Final Four last season but they also had the No. 1 overall pick, Paolo Banchero, on the roster as well.

Do the Blue Devils have a Banchero? Probably not. However, they have a trio of top-5 overall freshmen coming in Lively, Whitehead, and Kyle Filipowski. If all three are as good as advertised, including another five-star freshman in Mark Mitchell, then talent won’t be an issue this season.

Youth could be one but the hope is that the transfers, as well as junior guard Jeremy Roach, provide enough experience to avoid the ups and downs that come with underclassmen. This is also a team with depth both inside and out and should be one of the most athletic teams in the country.

It’ll all come down to the new head coach Jon Scheyer. He’s certainly no Coach K but he’s been groomed for this position and should be ready to take over. After seeing what Hubert Davis did over at North Carolina, it’s certainly possible.

All of the title contenders, including Duke, have roster flaws that could doom them in March if not taken care of. But in terms of respective ceilings, this roster may have the most. If it comes together and the freshmen play well (and if Whitehead gets healthy), it’s a worthy bet to make.

Home/NCAA Basketball News