With Hunter Dickinson, Jayhawks are walking the chalk with sportsbooks
With Hunter Dickinson manning the middle, the Kansas Jayhawks are surging to the top of the board for sportsbooks in the national championship futures market.
Kansas was already running with the favorites for the 2024 national title, including Duke, Michigan State and defending NCAA champion UConn.
FanDuel nudged the Jayhawks to the No. 2 line behind the favored (and popular bet) Blue Devils (+1100). KU is now +1200 at FanDuel. The Spartans are third at +1400.
Kansas won the national championship in 2022 in New Orleans. The Jayhawks played in the Big 12 conference tournament and NCAA Tournament in 2023 without head coach Bill Self on the bench due to a heart operation.
Self is committed to returning to Kansas for next season. The Jayhawks have four four-star recruits and Dickinson arriving while losing Big 12 Player of the Year Jalen Wilson and freshman sharpshooter Gradey Dick. Also gone are five transfers: MJ Rice, Joseph Yesufu, Bobby Pettiford Jr., super-senior Cam Martin and sophomore Zach Clemence.
Kevin McCullar Jr. is exploring the NBA draft but Self said he would welcome him back if the undersized forward opts to return.
The 2024 futures pricepoint for Kansas is common.
BetMGM moved Kansas from +1600 to +1200 on Thursday, when Dickinson released a video showing his transfer portal landing spot would be Lawrence, Kan.
DraftKings boosted Kansas from +1600 to +1300. Duke is the favorite at DraftKings (+1100), followed by Kansas, Marquette (+1600), Michigan State (+1800), Houston (+2000) and Alabama (+2000).
