College Basketball Future Odds: ACC and Big 10

College Basketball Future Odds: ACC and Big 10

College basketball gets underway on Nov. 4 and preseason practice has been going on since mid-September. There’s no more Midnight Madness, but there is NIL, closed scrimmages and some exhibition games. It’s also time for Future Odds so let’s talk about conference winners.

(odds from Draft Kings)

ACC

Favorite: Duke +140

They have all the great young talent with Cooper Flagg and Isaiah Evans along with junior Tyrese Proctor. The main question is at center where Kyle Filipowski left for the NBA. Jon Scheyer also has a lot to prove as a head coach.

The pick: North Carolina +350

You just can’t beat experience and R.J. Davis (21.2ppg) is one of the top returning guards in the nation going into his fifth year. Belmont transfer Cade Tyson (6-7, 200) and Ven-Allen Luin (6-8, 230) from Vanderbilt will contribute right away. They’ll miss Armando Bacot, but Jalen Washington (6-10, 235) and freshman James Brown (6-10, 215) are more capable of protecting the rim. This is a team that knows how to win and how to beat Duke.

Longshot: Miami +1200

Jim Larranaga’s squad went 15-17 last season, and they lost four key performers. That’s not a big deal since the team wasn’t very good and they return Matthew Cleveland (13.7ppg, 6.1rpg) and guard Nijel Pack (13.3ppg). Enter Jalil Bethea (6-4, 175), one of the top recruits in the history of the program who is a big-time scorer. If some of the newcomers gel, look out.

Big 10

Favorite: Purdue +500

No Zach Edey but the Boilermaker return Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer. Daniel Jacobsen (7-3) might not be Edey in terms of offense, but he’ll make an impact on the defensive end. But who will take Edey’s place on the offensive end? He was such a big piece of that time.

The Pick: UCLA +900

Welcome to the Big 10. The Bruins added six transfers coming off a difficult year in the Pac-12, going 10-10. But Mick Cronin returns guard Dylan Andrews (12.9ppg, 3.7apg) and guard Sebastian Mack (12.1ppg) so they at least have an experienced backcourt. They also have South Dakota State transfer William Kyle (6-9, 230), who averaged 11.1ppg and 5.7rpg last season. They have a strong recruiting class, but the transfers are key led by USC transfer Kobe Johnson (6-6, 200), and Oregon State transfer Tyler Bilodeau (6-9, 230), who averaged 14.3ppg and 5.7rpg last year. Watch out for sophomore Brandon Williams (6-7, 220), a very talented player who came off the bench last season as a freshman.

Longshot: Maryland +2000

The seat is getting a bit warmer at Maryland, where Kevin Willard went 7-13 in his second season in the Big 10. He brings back Julian Reese (6-9, 230), who averaged 13.7ppg and 9.5 rpg. The only key loss was Jahmir Young (20.4ppg), who had to carry a woeful offense last season. They add big-time freshman Derik Queen (6-10, 245) in the middle, who is more skilled than Reese. Guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie (6-1, 180) takes over for Young and is a transfer from Belmont who was also on the MVC All-Defensive team and second-team all-conference. Virginia Tech Rodney Rice (6-4, 190) and USF transfer Selton Miguel (6-4, 210) will compete for time at shooting guard with 3-point marksman Chance Stephens (6-3, 185), who did not play last season after transferring from Loyola Marymount.