In my March Madness bracket for 2019, I would incorrectly guess that Duke and North Carolina would be in the national championship. However, I would get Final Four picks correct with Virginia and Texas Tech, and I was very happy to see my home-state Cavaliers pull out the victory.
The point is, the usual suspects got there. And Duke and North Carolina, my wrong picks, also made solid runs with the Blue Devils advancing all the way to the Elite Eight, and UNC getting themselves to the Sweet Sixteen. When you look at the odds for next year’s March Madness, it’s the same suspects: Duke, North Carolina, Virginia, and so on.
And it all boils down to recruiting, and the process of only fitting five puzzle pieces together for a perfect starting lineup. Wrap some depth around your team, and you have a national championship contender. It’s easy for those blue blood programs to have an influx of five and four-star recruits for their entire rotation year in and year out, which is why we have the odds that we do — and why another blue blood, like a Virginia, will win yet again. It’s basketball, not football. (Though it’s getting that way too with Alabama and Clemson matchups every season.)
With all that being said, here are the odds for the favorites to win the 2019 national championship in the world of college basketball next season, and we’ll also go over each program’s recruiting heading into the new year. Don’t be shocked to see some very familiar names.
Oh, and I understand it’s way too early for 2020 March Madness, especially considering the national championship just ended, but it’s never too early to place a bet on the basketball national championship.
Let’s go over the odds!
Per usual, the Kentucky Wildcats had a successful campaign in the 2018-19 season. They would put together a season record of 30-7 and posted an Elite Eight berth — they would nearly get to the Final Four, but would get dropped to Auburn in overtime. As far as next season is concerned, head coach John Calipari will have a completely new squad next season with Reid Travis being a senior, and each P.J. Washington, Keldon Johnson, and Tyler Herro will all most likely be going pro. But here’s why the UK are the odds-favorites for 2020: John Calipari’s recruiting.
The Blue Devils’ season was a failure to fans due to “championship or bust” expectations, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a successful one — in fact, it was. They would compile a 32-6 record in the regular season and would be crowned ACC Champions, and in the big dance, they would make it all the way to the Elite Eight. Duke may be losing Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish, and Tre Jones, but it’s like my dad used to tell me: “Coach K doesn’t rebuild, he reloads.” The Devils may be ranked No. 11 now, but it’s looking like a strong class is coming.
Congratulations, Virginia! I’m proud of my home state for having themselves a championship to gloat over, but more importantly, what a way for UVA’s program to recover from last year’s tragedy being the only No. 1 seed in history to lose to a 16. Now can they repeat? They currently sit 4th in the rankings at +800, but there’s some caution for concern leading into 2020 for the Hoos: They’ll be losing massive production in De’Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome to the NBA, and here’s another tidbit: They’re outside of the Top 25 in the current recruiting rankings.
Tom Izzo and his Michigan State Spartans would have a spectacular 2018-19 season. En route to a Final Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Spartans would win the Las Vegas Invitational, would win both the Big Ten in the regular season and conference tournament, and would finish everything up with a 32-7 record. It doesn’t look like that Michigan State will be losing a significant amount of talent to the NBA, and that’s a good thing, because even though MSU is in the Top 25, they’re all the way down to No. 22.
The 2018-19 Michigan Wolverines probably didn’t meet the expectations that were set by fans and media alike, but it was still a pretty successful season. During the process, Michigan would pull in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off championship during the stretch of invitational tournaments to start out the new year. After that, they would take a few bumps here and there, but would accomplish a Sweet Sixteen appearance. Like their rival, Michigan State, the Wolverines won’t be losing much talent to the NBA, but I question the average recruiting class.
After the two beatings of the Duke Blue Devils in the regular season, UNC fans were hoping for a deeper run than they got in the tournament, but 2018-19 wasn’t all lost: The Tar Heels would launch to a 29-7 record, and would post a dominant 16-2 in the ACC — that record would help them be crowned co-champions of the ACC. They would eventually lose in the Sweet Sixteen in March Madness. The Tar Heels will lose Nassir Little and Coby White to the NBA, but fortunately, they have pulled in a five-star recruit. The problem: They’re currently ranked No. 49.
The Gonzaga University Bulldogs had a remarkable season, compiling a 33-4 record including being undefeated in conference play (16-0 WCC) and winning the regular season title, and upsetting No. 1 Duke in the regular season. As a matter of fact, the win over the Blue Devils would give them the Maui Invitational championship. The success would eventually carry on to the NCAA Tournament where they would advance to the Elite Eight. The Zags will hurt a bit losing Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke, but all signs are pointing towards a good recovery.
For the 2017-18 national champions, it looked like it could have been a long season with how things started out, but recovery would come well. The Wildcats would go on to win the AdvoCare Invitational and Big East regular-season championships after posting a 26-10 (13-5 Big East) record. They would carry that momentum on to the big dance for a Second Round appearance. Nova will lose Eric Paschall to the NBA, but their upcoming recruiting class is looking beautiful ranked No. 3 in the country at the present time.
Kansas delivered wins and success this season, but it wasn’t to the magnitude that was expected by fans and people associated with the school. The Jayhawks would do well in regards to pulling in over 25 wins at 26, but they’d hit double-digit losses at 10 — their record would tally to 26-10 (12-6 Big 12). Early in the season, KU was able to take the NIT Season Tip-Off Championship, and would achieve a second-round appearance in the big dance. As far as next year is concerned, no major talent is being lost, but the recruiting is also not superior.
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