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UConn, fresh off winning the program’s fifth men’s basketball national championship, enters the offseason as the team to beat next season as well, according to early odds posted by sportsbooks.
Caesars Sportsbook installed UConn as the favorite to win next season’s NCAA tournament at 12-1. Kansas is next at 15-1, followed by UCLA and Duke at 16-1 each and Kentucky at 18-1.
The Huskies entered this year’s tournament as a No. 4 seed with 15-1 odds to win the national championship at Caesars. They became the biggest pre-tournament long shot to win it all since Villanova won the 2016 championship as a 35-1 long shot.
UConn cruised through the tournament, winning by an average of 20 points per game and handled San Diego State in Monday’s championship game 76-59. UConn coach Dan Hurley is expected to return multiple key contributors and bolster the roster with a highly touted recruiting class.
A key to UConn’s prospects in 2023-24 is the status of star center Adama Sanogo, the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining. Although he is not considered a top NBA draft prospect this year, 6-foot-9 Sanogo is, according to Hurley, an “NBA player” who will “play in the league for a long time.”
Sanogo told reporters after Monday’s championship game that he is undecided on his status for this year’s draft and that he plans to mull the decision with his family and coaches.
Arizona is 20-1 at Caesars to win the 2024 title, followed by Houston and Purdue at 22-1. Florida Atlantic, which made a Cinderella run to the Final Four, opened at 70-1, and San Diego State is 100-1.
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