Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
With the college basketball season underway, eyes will certainly be on the first few games for all the National Championship hopefuls. It’s a clean slate, so it’s anyone’s trophy. With that being said, DraftKings Sportsbook has already taken a ton of futures bets on who will win the National Championship, as the pre-season was filled with excitement and anticipation. From Duke and Kentucky being poised for big seasons, to Memphis starting what promises to be a successful program, to Michigan State and the uber-talented Big Ten, the storylines are aplenty for the upcoming season.
Pennsylvania had plenty of schools on the list of teams for futures bets, but only one team made the top 10 as far as betting handle and total bets go. The Villanova Wildcats.
Let’s take a look at the chart, provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, for the programs that have the most bets by betting handle and by total bets. DraftKings is the 6th online/mobile sportsbook in the PA Sports Betting market.
2020 Final 4 Champions Betting Report
| By Handle | Rank | By Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| Florida (+2000) | 1 | Michigan State (+900) |
| Michigan State (+900) | 2 | Florida (+2000) |
| Maryland (+2000) | 3 | Louisville (+1400) |
| Louisville (+1400) | 4 | Villanova (+2000) |
| Duke (+800) | 5 | Duke (+800) |
| Villanova (+2000) | 6 | Maryland (+2000) |
| Kansas (+1100) | 7 | Texas Tech (+3300) |
| Memphis (+1600) | 8 | Kentucky (+800) |
| Kentucky (+800) | 9 | Gonzaga (+1800) |
| Purdue (+8000) | 10 | Kansas (+1100) |
Bettors Are Backing Villanova At 20-1 Odds
As you can see, Villanova ranks in the top 5 in total bets taken at +2000 to win the National Championship, sitting at fourth behind Michigan State, Florida, and Louisville. Florida is also +2000, and Michigan State and Louisville come in at +900 and +1400, respectively.
In terms of betting handle, only five teams have received more total dollars to win the National Championship than Villanova.
Florida (+2000), Michigan State (+900), Maryland (+2000), Louisville (+1400) and Duke (+800) all have received a higher percentage of the handle, but Villanova slides in at number six.
There certainly could be a some local bias at play here as Villianova is within a 1 hour drive of NJ and DraftKings just launched in PA. With that being said, being in the top six in total handle is telling. Bettors have high expectations for a young Villanova team his season.
2019-20 Villanova Basketball
Villanova destroyed Army 97-54 to open their season. The Wildcats travel to Ohio State for their next contest on November 13th, then have the Myrtle Beach Invitational.
Villanova enters the season ranked 10th by the AP Top 25, and also 10th in the Coaches Poll. In the preseason, DraftKings Sportsbook had Villanova at 24.5 wins for an over/under prop.
The Wildcats will be led by freshmen Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Bryan Antoine, and returners Saddiq Bey and Collin Gillespie. For the first time in quite awhile, the Wildcats will have more than one “big man” with Bey and Robinson-Earl to lean on, in addition to some sharp-shooting guards.
Local PA teams College Basketball Win Totals at #DraftKings Sportsbook:
Villanova Wildcats 24.5
Penn State Nittany Lions 17.5
Pennsylvania Quakers 16.5
Temple Owls 16.5
Pittsburgh Panthers 16
La Salle Explorers 14.5
Drexel Dragons 14
Saint Joseph's Hawks 12— Jason Ziernicki 🎲🏈➡️💰 (@jziernick) October 25, 2019
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