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Sportsbooks Split on March Madness Odds for Washington, LSU, and Marquette

David Golokhov

by David Golokhov in College Basketball

Updated Apr 3, 2020 · 10:46 AM PDT

NCAA-Basketball
The LSU Tigers had a successful 2019 campaign but are losing a lot of talent to the NBA. Photo by Tim Johnson
  • Marquette’s March Madness odds dropped after the Hauser twins decided to transfer
  • LSU has six players declared for the NBA Draft process, although some could return
  • The Washington Huskies are hoping five-star recruit Jaden McDaniels joins their team for next season

Of course, now that Duke has the top recruiting class in the country, they’re going to be everyone’s favorite bet to win the 2020 NCAA Tournament. However, as we saw last season, they might not be a good investment. Instead, let’s take a look at three teams that could offer good value. They’re all longshots, according to the 2020 March Madness odds.

2020 NCAA Tournament Odds

Team Odds at Book 1 Odds at Book 2
Marquette Eagles +2200 +3000
LSU Tigers +6600 +8000
Washington Huskies +3300 +8000

Marquette Loses Hauser Twins

Marquette was one of my favorite sleeper teams heading into the 2019 season. A lot had to go right – mostly that star point guard Markus Howard had to return instead of heading to the NBA – but he did. This would have undoubtedly been Steve Wojciechowski’s best teams.

However, while Howard returned, a big stunner was that the Hauser twins – Sam and Joey – decided to transfer. Sam was one of the team’s three studs who was expected to lead this team to a Top 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a Final Four. Joey was going to be a future star after his brother and Howard graduated.

It’s a really big loss for this team and leads me to avoid them. Remember, this team ended the season having lost five of six in the regular season, and then they got smoked by No. 12 Murray State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. With more bad news in the offseason, this is a team I’d avoid.

LSU Tigers Roster Has Been Stripped

There’s good news and bad news when it comes to LSU. On one hand, the Will Wade situation is behind them. The head coach lost about $400,000 in bonuses but at the end of the day, he was reinstated, which is big news for the program.

The bad news is that the team has lost a ton of talent and that’s really going to hamper their chances in 2019-20. We knew that projected first-rounder Naz Reid was going to the NBA Draft but it came as a surprise to some that point guard Tremont Waters declared. Waters isn’t projected to be drafted at all.

The third player who declared – all within 48 hours – was a shock: junior guard Skylar Mays. He’s coming off his best season at LSU, averaging 13.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals.

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Is it possible that Waters and Mays hire NCAA-approved agents, don’t get drafted and then decide to return for one more year? Possibly, although it seems like that’s only really a possibility for Mays as Waters – just in the tone of his goodbyes – sounds like he’s gone.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, three other players – Javonte Smart, Emmitt Williams and Marlon Taylor – have entered their name into the NBA Draft for evaluation. Players have until Monday, May 29th to make a final decision but unless the majority of these players return, I’ll pass on LSU.

Bet On Washington

Of the three teams on this list, Washington looks like the best bet to me. This is a team that won a share of the Pac-12 title and a game in the NCAA Tournament last season, but was clearly a few bricks short of a load in their Round-of-32 loss to North Carolina.

The good news is that this team will add Isaiah Stewart to their roster this year, who is an All-American and the No. 6 recruit in the country. He might be the most college-ready high schooler in the country. They’ll also get Quade Green midway through the season after he decided to transfer from Kentucky.

The key to their season could be Jaden McDaniels, who is another five-star prospect who could be on the way. He’s leaning towards Washington and many assume he’ll end up there, but he hasn’t committed yet.

Mike Hopkins has won 48 games in two seasons at Washington and this team’s arrow is pointed up. They’re the best bet of the three teams on the board here.

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