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

3. Indiana Hoosiers – +4000

There might not have been a team talked about more this offseason than Indiana, with some analysts having them as a top-15 caliber team, while others not even ranking them. But that’s exactly how they looked last season; at times being a quality team in the country and at others not even worth being in the NCAA Tournament.

The pieces are there for the Hoosiers, led by star forward, Trayce Jackson-Davis. He averaged around 18 and 8 last season and showed that he’s a top-10 player in NCAA Basketball. Also back are a trio of seniors in forward Race Thompson, sharpshooter Miller Kopp and point guard Xavier Johnson, who is the key to the team’s success. The veteran ball-handler had his ups and downs but showed that he can play 6+ straight games at a high level and could do the same next March.

What gives Indiana a chance to break through nationally is the addition of a pair of five-star freshmen in guard Jalen Hood-Schifino and forward Malik Reneau. Both add depth inside and out and Hood-Schifino can be an effective backcourt partner for Johnson, taking pressure off him always having the ball in his hands.

If the Hoosiers can be just a little better as a shooting team, they’ll have everything needed to win a national title. They have the star go-to player, several veterans, and some talented newcomers that can raise the team’s ceiling. The odds show that they’re a risk but one that can pay off if the consistency of the perimeter players makes an improvement.