The drama of March Madness may be a faint memory for sports bettors, but the college basketball season will be here quicker than you think. Programs have inked their top recruits and returnees are back in the gym working towards next season.
Here’s a look at the early sportsbook favorites to claim the 2009-10 NCAA National Championship:
Kansas Jayhawks (+400)
Kansas grew up faster than any other team in the country last season. Under coach Bill Self, the Jayhawks surprised the Big 12 with a stellar regular season. Self welcomes back his top two players in Sharron Collins and Cole Aldrich, key role players and brings in one of the best recruiting classes in the country, which includes SG Xavier Henry and his brother C.J. Henry.
Kentucky Wildcats (+500)
New coach John Calipari pillaged Memphis’ recruiting class when he jumped ship to UK. Top recruits like John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins join forces with forward Patrick Patterson, who is primed for a breakout year. The Wildcats couldn’t get Jodie Meeks to stick but bring back steady role players Perry Stevenson, Ramon Harris and DeAndre Liggins.
Texas Longhorns (+1000)
The Big 12 crown won’t be handed to Kansas. The Longhorns have the returning talent to win the conference and make a run at the national title. Texas brings back Damion James, Justin Mason, Gary Johnson and tons-of-fun forward Dexter Pitman. Rick Barnes showed some serious hustle with his top talents sitting on the fence and brings in guys like SF Jordan Hamilton and SG Avery Bradley to bolster the wings.
Louisville Cardinals (+1200)
Louisville is missing two major cogs from last season. Earl Clark and Terrence Williams have moved on to greener pastures, leaving coach Rick Pitino with backcourt stars Edgar Sosa and Jerry Smith but many questions under the basket. Forward Samardo Samuels must improve his focus and conditioning and Terrence Jennings must add points to go along with all those blocks. Louisville doesn’t boast the same recruiting classes as other title contenders, welcoming F Rakeem Buckles as the next big thing.
Duke Blue Devils (+1500)
Duke got stung by the departure of G Elliot Williams. Williams, who is headed to Memphis, was huge in the Blue Devils’ turnaround late last season. Enter Andre Dawkins. The highly-touted freshman is trying to accelerate his graduation and enroll at Duke in time for this coming season. Dawkins could fill the void left by Gerald Henderson and more importantly, give the Blue Devils another guard. Duke returns guards Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith along with forwards Kyle Singler, Lance Thomas, Brian Zoubek and two freshman forwards – Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumtree.
Michigan State Spartans (+1500)
No one saw MSU’s Final Four run coming last season, except for maybe Tom Izzo. The savvy coach pushed his troops deep into the tournament and has most of those hands on deck for another try at the national title. Speedster Kalin Lucas, forward Delvon Roe, high-flyer Durrell Summers and shooter Chris Allen are back. The Spartans will miss C Goran Suton the most but do have freshman bigs Derrick Nix and Garrick Sherman coming in.
Odds provided by Sportsbook.com.