Everyone is making futures bets on college basketball at this time of the year as the season starts to ramp up. Below is three of Travis Graf’s favorite futures bets for the 2022-2023 campaign, which includes a national title winner, a national title long shot, and a National Player of the Year award winner.
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2023 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team
2025 Rankings: Top 40
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NATIONAL CHAMP: Houston (+1100)
The Houston Cougars are fourth on the preseason betting board for title favorites behind North Carolina, Gonzaga and Kentucky. Kelvin Sampson’s squad made the Final Four two seasons ago and managed to get to the Elite Eight last year despite injuries to Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark. With both of those starters back, in addition to junior guard Jamal Shead, the Cougars are set in the backcourt and should have one of the best two-way guard trios in the country.
Five-star freshman Jarace Walker will also play a huge role in the Cougars’ success. The main question mark entering the season is how Houston will look at the five spot.
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NATIONAL CHAMP LONG-SHOT: Dayton (+8900)
The Dayton Flyers return all of their production from a season ago and look to make a lot of noise this year under Anthony Grant. Dayton was No. 1 in the preseason A-10 poll and finds itself slotted at No. 24 in the first AP Top 25.
Sophomore DaRon Holmes and junior Toumani Camara form one of the best frontcourt duos in the country, and Malachi Smith should make a considerable sophomore jump as well.
Freshman guard Mike Sharavjamts is a player who could raise Dayton’s ceiling even more if things click in his freshman season. Look for the Flyers to creep their way up the polls and be playing their best basketball in the spring.
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NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Marcus Sasser (+1200)
Entering the season, Houston’s Marcus Sasser sits as the fifth favorite to win the Naismith Award. The Cougars guard averaged 17.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest in 12 games a season ago before being knocked out for the year with an injury. He also shot just under 44-percent from behind the arc.
Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe is the first unanimous player of the year to return to college for another season since Tyler Hansbrough, but he likely won’t have to put up the numbers that he needed last season again.
