Duke is the favorite to win the NCAA championship and junior guard Grayson Allen is favored to win AP National Player of the Year honors, according to Bovada.lv.
Led by Allen and a crew of stud freshmen including Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles, Frank Jackson and Marques Bolden, Duke faces odds of 4/1 to win the national championship in Glendale, Az. Kentucky follows at 15/2 with Kansas and reigning NCAA champion Villanova at 10/1. Arizona, which also has several elite freshmen in Kobi Simmons and Rawle Alkins, is next at 14/1.
Allen, who leads the AP odds at 6/1, opted to return to Duke for his junior season after he could have declared for the NBA Draft last year. He’s currently projected at No. 25 by DraftExpress.com.
“After the season ended, I just started talking to my parents and really did a lot of thinking to myself about everything: pros and cons of staying, pros and cons of leaving, all that kind of stuff. For me, just my heart was here at Duke,” Allen told Sporting News. “I just wanted to be here. The thing about leaving vs. staying, being here I have the opportunity to play with all this talent. We have a lot of talent on this team that if we come together we can be a special team.
“Also with the surrounding talent, I don’t think that’s going to stop my game. I think I’ll be able to expand my game more, be able to distribute more, find different spots on the floor, cut and move. Last year I had to be more ball-dominant, but this year with the drive-and-kick we have other guys who can really make plays with the ball. There’s a lot of stuff I can improve on with that.”
Washington’s Markelle Fultz is at 7/1 in Player of the Year odds, followed by Cals’ Ivan Rabb and Duke’s Tatum at 8/1, with Indiana’s Thomas Bryant at 9/1. UCLA’s Lonzo Ball and Syracuse’s Tyler Lydon follow at 10/1.
Odds to win the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship (Teams in red have longer odds, teams in blue have shorter odds, and teams in black stayed the same)
4/6/16 Current Odds (10/6/16)
Duke 9/2 4/1
Kentucky 6/1 15/2
Kansas 10/1 10/1
Villanova 8/1 10/1
Arizona 22/1 14/1
Michigan State 12/1 16/1
North Carolina 12/1 16/1
Oregon 20/1 16/1
Wisconsin 25/1 16/1
Indiana 20/1 25/1
Louisville 10/1 25/1
Syracuse 50/1 25/1
Virginia 20/1 25/1
2016-2017 Associated Press Player of the Year Winner
Grayson Allen (Duke) 6/1
Markelle Fultz (Washington) 7/1
Ivan Rabb (California) 8/1
Jayson Tatum (Duke) 8/1
Thomas Bryant (Indiana) 9/1
Lonzo Ball (UCLA) 10/1
Tyler Lydon (Syracuse) 10/1
Dillon Brooks (Oregon) 14/1
Josh Hart (Villanova) 14/1
Josh Jackson (Kansas) 14/1
Monte Morris (Iowa State) 14/1
London Perrantes (Virginia) 14/1
Jaron Blossomgame (Clemson) 33/1
Ethan Happ (Wisconsin) 33/1
Justin Jackson (North Carolina) 33/1
Melo Trimble (Maryland) 33/1
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