Memphis’ National Championship Odds Improve from +5000 to +1600 After Emoni Bates Commits

• Five-star point guard Emoni Bates has committed to Memphis
• Memphis’ odds to win the 2022 national championship improved from +5000 to +1600 after the news broke
• A look at Memphis’ chances of winning it all and betting advice can be found below

Memphis’ odds of winning the 2022 national championship got a lot better Wednesday.

Five-star recruit Emoni Bates announced he has committed to play for the Tigers. Bates is considered the favorite to be the first-overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft after he turns 19 that year.

Memphis’ title odds improved from +5000 to +1600 shortly after Bates broke the news on Instagram.

2022 NCAA Men’s Tournament Championship Odds

Odds as of August 26th at DraftKings.

Top of The Class

The 6-foot-8 Bates is a five-star guard from Ypsilanti, Michigan, who is considered a generational talent by many recruiting experts. Bates would have been going into his senior year of high school this year but recently reclassified to the class of 2021.

Bates became the first sophomore to win the National Gatorade Player of the Year award. That came after he averaged 33.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.3 steals.

Emoni Bates, the No. 3 overall recruit in ESPN's 2021 rankings, has committed to Memphis 🔥@BatesEmoni | @Memphis_MBB pic.twitter.com/s2zUud1E2l

— ESPN (@espn) August 25, 2021

Furthermore, Bates has also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, drawing comparisons – fairly or not – to former SI high-school cover boy LeBron James.

Bates originally committed to Michigan State but then backed out in April. His final decision came down to Memphis, Michigan State, Oregon or playing in the G League.

Best Recruiting Class

With the addition of Bates, 247Sports’ composite rankings now rate Memphis’ 2021 recruiting class as the best in the nation.

Bates joins fellow five-star recruit Jalen Duran, a 6-10 center from Philadelphia who committed to the Tigers earlier this month. Bates and Duran were once AAU teammates and are close friends.

Roman Catholic’s Super Sophmores (Jalen Duran & Justice Williams) Showed out and got the huge win in Day 2 of @CityOfPalmsBKB

Final Score @RomanBasketball 79
Marshall County 26

@AnthonyGspn @GonzoGSPN #mygspnscores pic.twitter.com/Q4NkVTWj47

— MyGSPN.com (@myGSPNSports) December 19, 2019

They join a trio of four-star recruits landed by coach Penny Hardaway and a staff that includes such luminaries as Larry Brown and Rasheed Wallace – Jonathan Lawson, a 6-6 forward from Memphis; Josh Minott, a 6-8 forward from Boca Raton, Fla.; and Sam Onu, a 6-10 center from Malvern, Pennsylvania.

Memphis also signed 6-7 forward John Camden, a three-star from Wayne, PA.

Strong Finishers

Memphis failed to make it to the NCAA Tournament last season. However, the Tigers did capture the NIT championship with four wins, including 77-64 over Mississippi State in the championship game.

Among those returning from a team that went 20-8 are Landers Nolley II and DeAndre Williams, the top two scorers.

Nolley averaged 13.1 points a game and shot 38.7% from three-point range. Williams had a fine all-round season with averages of 11.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 steals.

Out of the 1-4 High formation, the sequence begins with a dho into a hp entry. After the pass to Cissa, 0 DJ Jeffries will screen for Williams and get the ball back on the rt wing after a swing-swing.

This create a diagonal screen the screener for a 3 Landers Nolley II three. pic.twitter.com/FXDjt2C2X7

— Matt Petersen (@MattyP_bkb) January 1, 2021

Lester Quinones will also be back after posting averages of 9.5 points and 5.8 rebounds.

Memphis has also added Earl Timberlake, a highly regarded transfer from Miami. He averaged 7.5 points in seven games in 2020-21, his first collegiate season, but was a consensus top-30 recruit in high school.

Memphis finished last season on a strong note beyond capturing the NIT title. The Tigers entered February with an uninspiring 9-6 record but then won 11 of their last 13 games.

Both losses were to Houston — which wound up in the Final Four — by three points in the regular season finale and two points in the American Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals.

Can Memphis Win It All?

Memphis has never won a national championship, losing in the final in both 1973 and 2008.

However, the Tigers certainly have the talent to make a run at winning it all in 2021-22. Bates and Nolley should form a dynamic backcourt along with Timberlake and the Tigers will have plenty of talent in the frontcourt with Duran joining forces with Williams and Quinones.

Our Former Nationwide Academy player 6’10” DeAndre Williams was finally cleared by the NCAA , he had a good showing vs Tulane. Here are a couple of highlight dunks, with Coach Penny Hardaway as DeAndre’s coach the sky is the limit Lets Go Big D💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾#God1st🙏🏾#Gotigers pic.twitter.com/tPurA9WGWc

— Bryatt Vann (@BryattVann) December 19, 2020

One reason for pause is Hardaway has yet to take Memphis to the NCAAs in his three seasons as coach despite being a phenomenal recruiter. Still, his Tigers have the players that make them at least worth a small bet before the odds drop even further.