In a matter of three months, the Kansas men’s basketball team has catapulted from possible contender to an early favorite entering the 2021-22 campaign.
Remy Martin and Ochai Agbaji both announced they were withdrawing from the NBA Draft to return to KU on Tuesday, which meant that this roster finally appears to be set. So it was a good time to view the updated betting odds for the upcoming season.
[According to DraftKings Sportsbook][1], the Jayhawks are currently +900 to win the national title next April. They are +200 to make the Final Four, which is something this team hasn’t done since 2018. Both numbers put Kansas behind only Gonzaga and Michigan as of Wednesday morning.
Gonzaga, which is coming off a 86-70 loss to Baylor in the 2021 national championship game, is +700 to win the championship and +150 to make it to the Final Four. Michigan is +800 to win next year’s tournament, and +175 to advance to the semifinals.
KU’s odds have been cut in half since the offseason began. When [DraftKings released its opening odds][2] for the 2021-22 season on April 5, Kansas was listed at +1800 to cut down the nets.
Six squads were listed ahead of the Jayhawks when odds were first released. Gonzaga was still the favorite at +900, followed by Baylor, Florida State and Michigan who all came in at +1200. Ohio State and Villanova both started with +1400 odds to win the national title.
Not all those teams are still around in the updated odds, however. Villanova matches Kansas with a +900 future to win the national championship. Kentucky and Texas are both currently listed at +1200, while Duke and Purdue come in at +1300. Alabama and Ohio State have +1400 odds to win it all.
The Jayhawks didn’t cut their odds in half because of a few players coming back, though that certainly helped their prospects for the upcoming season. This offseason has featured a massive roster overhaul since Kansas was throttled in a 85-51 loss to USC in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last March.
Kansas will have 10 players who are new to the program this winter, a list that included eight scholarship players and two walk-ons. While it might take time for this team to come together, it is a roster that features plenty of firepower on paper.
That’s why KU will continue to be listed among the favorites at all these sportsbooks. And, if certain places are slow to recognize that Kansas has revamped its roster, it might not be a bad idea to take advantage of a good number.
NCAA title odds on DraftKings Sportsbook
Gonzaga +700
Michigan +800
Kansas +900
Villanova +900
Kentucky +1200
Texas +1200
Duke +1300
Purdue +1300
Alabama +1400
Ohio State +1400
Houston +1800
Arkansas +2000
Baylor +2000
Louisville +2000
Oregon +2000
UCLA +2000
Virginia Tech +2000
West Virginia +2000
Florida State +2500
Oklahoma +2500
USC +25000
Wisconsin +2500
Creighton +3000
LSU +3000
Michigan State +3000
Tennessee +3000
[1]: https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/basketball/3230960?category=team-futures&subcategory=championship-winner
[2]: https://dknation.draftkings.com/2021/4/5/22369362/ncaa-championship-odds-2022-favorite-to-win-gonzaga-baylor-florida-state-michigan-ohio-state
