Duke Early Favorite for 2023 March Madness Title

Coach Mike Krzyzewski was unable to retire on top, but he left the Duke Blue Devils in great position. Duke hasn’t lost any of its luster, and the Blue Devils are expected to be a powerhouse for the foreseeable future under new head coach Jon Scheyer. The Blue Devils are currently favored to win the national championship next year although stars like Paolo Banchero and A.J. Griffin are probably declaring for the NBA Draft.

2023 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS

• DUKE +900
• NORTH CAROLINA +1100
• KENTUCKY +1200
• KANSAS +1200
• ARKANSAS +1400
• GONZAGA +1400
• UCLA +1600
• HOUSTON +1600
• VILLANOVA +1800
• ARIZONA +1800

The Blue Devils are largely the favorites to win the title next year on the strength of the current No. 1 recruiting class in the country. Center Dereck Lively II is the top recruit in the country per 247 Sports, and fellow center Kyle Filipowski is the No. 3 recruit in the country. No. 5 recruit Dariq Whitehead is the top-rated small forward in the nation, and the Blue Devils are likely to land No. 13 Mark Mitchell too. Scheyer seems to be fully embracing the one-and-done philosophy that Coach K flirted with at the tail end of his career, as Duke has the No. 1 class in 2023 too.

Rival North Carolina is considered the second favorite after a magical run to the national title game where the Tar Heels blew a 15-point lead against Kansas. Brady Manek is gone, but some of the other key members of this North Carolina team could return next year. Hubert Davis’ first year was a smashing success, so the Tar Heels look to be in good hands for the foreseeable future.

ESPN has Arkansas pegged as the No. 1 team in the country entering next season. The Razorbacks have three of the top 20 freshmen in the country led by local product Nick Smith coming to Fayetteville, and they could have two or three of their top players from this past season return to campus.

UCLA might start the season as the No. 1 team in the country next year if Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez Jr. return for one more year. Juzang and Jaquez aren’t considered first-round prospects, so they could come back for their senior seasons. No. 2 overall recruit Amari Bailey will join UCLA too, making the Bruins a potentially scary team.

The best long shot on the board is Creighton. The Bluejays were briefly 100-1 to win the national championship last night, but that number was quickly bet down to 55-1. Creighton doesn’t have a highly-rated recruit coming to Omaha, yet the Bluejays do have an experienced roster returning that came on strong at the end of last season.

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