The college basketball season is underway as the top three teams stay the same as they haven’t really been tested all that much. Duke did take care of business against Michigan State, which was one of the early big games of the season but they were expected to win.
There has been some movement among the middle of the pack and a couple new entries to the list at the bottom. This could change over the next few weeks, however, as coaches are still figuring out their rotations in a game that is full of talented freshmen. It is also tournament time as there are a slew of tournaments to tip off the season as the Champions Classic kicked things off, and then you have the Phil Knight Invitational, the Maui Invitational and the Battle 4 Atlantis just for starters.
The field is listed at +5000. Stats as of Thursday, November 16th.
1. Duke Blue Devils
Last Week: 1
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +125
The Blue Devils (3-0) won at home over Elon and Utah Valley, and then at the Champions Classic over Michigan State. Duke will be at home to host Southern this week, then they’ll head west to Portland for the Phil Knight Invitational, where they’ll face Furman and Portland State. Grayson Allen is off to a good start, averaging 25.7 points and shooting a blistering 65.4% from the three-point line over the first three games. Marvin Bagley III is being touted as a potential #1 pick in the next draft, and he began his college career by averaging 17.7 points and 8.7 boards for the Blue Devils.
2. Michigan State Spartans
Last Week: 2
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +500
The Spartans (1-1) beat North Florida at home, and then lost to Duke in the Champions Classic Next, the Spartans will host Stony Brook and they’ll also head to Portland for the Phil Knight Invitational, where the Spartans will take on DePaul. Miles Bridges put up 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in Michigan State’s first two games, and he should be a candidate for Player of the Year honors. Bridges looks like the Spartans’ best players in years.
3. Arizona Wildcats
Last Week: 3
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +600
The Wildcats (2-0) rolled over Northern Arizona and UMBC to kick off the season, and then they’ll host CSU Bakersfield before travelling to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, where they’ll play North Carolina State. Allonzo Trier (31.0 points, 4.5 rebounds) and Deandre Ayton (19.0 points, 12.5 rebounds) look like they’ll be one of the top one-two punches in the country this season. Trier has hit half of his three-point attempts to begin the season, while Ayton could steal some of Bagley’s thunder in terms of the top freshmen in the country.
4. Kansas Jayhawks
Last Week: 5
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1000
The Jayhawks (2-0) beat Tennessee State at home, then won their showdown with Kentucky in the Champions Classic. This week, the Jayhawks will host South Dakota State and Texas Southern. Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk put up 16.0 points over Kansas’ first two games as the Jayhawks had five players averaging at least 10.5 points per game in a pretty balanced lineup, although Kansas will need someone to take control as the season wears on, preferably before conference play begins.
5. Kentucky Wildcats
Last Week: 4
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1200
The Wildcats (2-1) defeated Utah Valley and Vermont before their close loss to Kansas, and they’ll return home to host East Tennessee State, Troy and Fort Wayne this week. Hamidou Diallo, who joined the team in January but didn’t play at all last season, averaged 16.0 points in the first two games of the season, while Kevin Knox was next with 14.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals for the Wildcats, who have their usual talented crop of freshmen, but it’ll take some time for them to gel and work out the kings.
6. Wichita State Shockers
Last Week: 10
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +2000
The Shockers (2-0) dropped UMKC and Charleston at home, and then it is off to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational, where they’ll start off with California. Shaquille Morris put up 17.0 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 72.2% from the field for the Shockers, who shot 45.5% from the three-point line to start off the season. The Shockers aren’t going to shock people for much longer; they’re one of the best value bets in the country in terms of the national title.
7. Villanova Wildcats
Last Week: 9
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +2500
The Wildcats (2-0) beat Columbia and Nicholls to tip off the season, and then they’ll play Lafayette in the Allentown Showcase, and then it is off to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis, where the Wildcats will open up against Western Kentucky. Donte DiVincenzo led the way by averaging 16.5 points for the Wildcats, who had six players averaging 10.0 points last week and are going to be tough to deal with all season.
8. North Carolina Tar Heels
Last Week: 6
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +2500
The Tar Heels (2-0) defeated Northern Iowa and Bucknell, and they’ll visit Stanford before going to the Phil Knight Invitational, where they’ll kick off the tournament with Portland. Luke Maye got off to a great start by averaging 23.0 points and 9.5 rebounds, while Sterling Manley averaged 12.5 points and 10.5 rebounds for the Tar Heels.
9. USC Trojans
Last Week: —
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +2500
The Trojans (2-0) beat CS Fullerton and North Dakota State, and they’ll head to Vanderbilt this week before returning home to host Lehigh. Bennie Boatwright started his season off on a good note as he averaged 20.5 points and 7.0 rebounds, while Chimezie Metu chipped in with 16.0 points and 8.5 rebounds for the Trojans.
10. Florida Gators
Last Week: —
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +3000
The Gators (1-0) thumped Gardner-Webb to kick off the season, and this week, they’ll host North Florida and New Hampshire before going to the Phil Knight Invitational to play Stanford. Egor Koulechov scored 34 points in his season debut, hitting all six of his three-point attempts to power the Gators to a victory.
The Gators host North Florida tonight in a contest where they are favored by 35 points. They’re not expected to be tested much until they host Stanford and Florida State next week.
The 2018 March Madness futures are out. There has been plenty of news to keep up with in the offseason but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest college basketball betting lines right here.
