It happens this way almost every year. As soon as the first exhibition game arrives and fans of Kansas University hoops get their first vision of the Jayhawks beating up an overmatched opponent inside Allen Fieldhouse, their minds wander toward the idea of whether this will be the year that Bill Self and company add another banner to the rafters.
Truth be told, this general way of thinking is really never absent around here, but it really revs up when the games begin and people can see for themselves just how dominant Cliff Alexander can be, athletic Kelly Oubre is and improved Frank Mason has become.
It’s human nature, really. But there is, of course, a pseudo-scientific element to the question and that’s where the good folks at online gambling site Bovada.lv enter the picture.
With the regular season opener now less than 10 days away — KU will play another tune-up next Tuesday against Emporia State at AFH — here’s a quick look at the betting favorites to cut down the nets next April.
Somewhat surprisingly, KU’s odds have gone down since they first released them last April. If anything, they’ve gone up in my mind, as this team appears to have the depth, talent, size and, of course, coaching to make a serious run.
Plenty of time to sort all that out, though. For now, here’s a look at the Bovada odds as they stood as of Tuesday.
• Big 12 teams in italics
**Team — Odds on April 28 — Current Odds**
Kentucky — 5/1 — 7/2
Arizona — 16/1 — 9/1
Wisconsin — 12/1 — 9/1
Duke — 9/1 — 12/1
North Carolina — 16/1 — 12/1
**Kansas — 14/1 — 18/1**
Florida — 16/1 — 20/1
Gonzaga — 40/1 — 25/1
*Iowa State — 33/1 — 25/1
*
Louisville — 25/1 — 25/1
*Texas — 33/1 — 25/1
*
Villanova — 25/1 — 28/1
Wichita State — 28/1 — 28/1
Michigan — 33/1 — 33/1
Michigan State — 25/1 — 33/1
Syracuse — 33/1 — 40/1
VCU — 40/1 — 40/1
Virginia — 33/1 — 40/1
Ohio State — 50/1 — 50/1
San Diego State — 66/1 — 50/1
SMU — 33/1 — 50/1
UConn — 66/1 — 50/1
Iowa — 66/1 — 66/1
*Oklahoma — 40/1 — 66/1
*
UCLA — 50/1 — 66/1
Pittsburgh — 100/1 — 75/1
Arkansas — 100/1 — 100/1
*Baylor — 75/1 — 100/1
*
Florida State — 100/1 — 100/1
Georgetown — 100/1 — 100/1
Harvard — 100/1 — 100/1
Indiana — 100/1 — 100/1
*Kansas State — 100/1 — 100/1
*
Marquette — 100/1 — 100/1
Maryland — 100/1 — 100/1
Memphis — 100/1 — 100/1
Miami FL — 66/1 — 100/1
Minnesota — 100/1 — 100/1
Nebraska — 66/1 — 100/1
Notre Dame — 150/1 — 100/1
Oregon — 50/1 — 100/1
Seton Hall — 100/1 — 100/1
St. Louis — 100/1 — 100/1
Stanford — 100/1 — 100/1
Tennessee — 100/1 — 100/1
Cincinnati — 100/1 — 150/1
Providence — 150/1 — 150/1
UNLV — 100/1 — 150/1
Alabama — 200/1 — 200/1
Colorado — 75/1 — 200/1
Dayton — 100/1 — 200/1
Georgia — 100/1 — 200/1
Illinois — 150/1 — 200/1
Missouri — 100/1 — 200/1
NC State — 150/1 — 200/1
New Mexico — 200/1 — 200/1
*Oklahoma State — 100/1 — 200/1
*
St. John’s — 150/1 — 200/1
Xavier — 250/1 — 250/1
Arizona State — 100/1 — 300/1
Auburn — Off the Board — 300/1
BYU — 300/1 — 300/1
California — 200/1 — 300/1
Clemson — 200/1 — 300/1
Colorado State — 300/1 — 300/1
Creighton — 200/1 — 300/1
George Washington — 200/1 — 300/1
Georgia Tech — 200/1 — 300/1
LSU — 100/1 — 300/1
Ole Miss — 150/1 — 300/1
Purdue — 200/1 — 300/1
South Carolina — 300/1 — 300/1
Texas A&M — 500/1 — 300/1
UMass — 150/1 — 300/1
USC — 200/1 — 300/1
Vanderbilt — 250/1 — 300/1
Boston College — 500/1 — 500/1
Butler — 500/1 — 500/1
DePaul — 500/1 — 500/1
LaSalle — 300/1 — 500/1
Penn State — 300/1 — 500/1
Richmond — 500/1 — 500/1
St. Joe’s — 300/1 — 500/1
*Texas Tech — 500/1 — 500/1
*
Virginia Tech — 300/1 — 500/1
Wake Forest — 300/1 — 500/1
Washington — 300/1 — 500/1
*West Virginia — 200/1 — 500/1
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