College basketball season already has kicked off coast to coast, but there’s still time to hit up the futures market.
I’ve stocked my futures portfolio with national title plays on Duke (12/1), Creighton (30/1), and Villanova (40/1).
But it’s a long wait until April, so I’m sharing a team that I’m bullish on that you can play in the futures market three different ways, all while seeing a payout in less than two weeks.
If you’re looking for a quick return, play Florida to win the NIT Season Tip-Off.
Florida faces Pitt on Nov. 22, and if the Gators win, they will take on the winner of Baylor-Oregon State on Black Friday.
You can grab Florida at +285 to emerge as the champion of this mini four-team tournament.
Then I’m advocating for Todd Golden to win the SEC in just his second season as the Gators’ head coach.
Florida is listed sixth in the SEC pecking order, according to oddsmakers, at 10/1.
And because I’m dreaming big, why not a trip to the Final Four at an enticing 20/1.
So what’s to love about a team that finished last season with a .500 record in conference play?
The Gators have a perfectly balanced roster and a coach who knows how to get the most out of his guards.
Because of Golden’s tireless work in the transfer portal, Florida has a pair of highly capable guards to run the offense.
Walter Clayton Jr. (Iona) and Zyon Pullin (UC Riverside) are far from household names, but both are stat-sheet stuffers.
Pullin averaged 18/4/4 and nearly orchestrated an upset of Oregon last year playing for Riverside.
Not to be outdone, Clayton Jr. averaged 16.8 points and 4.3 assists per game for Rick Pitino, while shooting an eye-popping 43 percent from deep and 95.3% from the free throw line.
But the true reason I’m enamored with this Florida team is Riley Kugel out on the wing and Micah Handlogten on the low block.
Kugel averaged 18 points and four rebounds on 51.3% shooting in his final nine SEC games last year.
And if his debut this week was any indication (23 points, four assists, six steals), he’s ready for a star turn this season.
And finally, there’s Handlogten.
The Marshall transfer is revered in the analytics community after a massively impressive freshmen debut.
Not only did he finish top-10 in effective field goal percentage, but he ranked second nationally in blocks among freshmen, trailing only Duke’s Dereck Lively II with 2.3 per contest.
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As a rim runner offensively and a bona fide rim protector in the lane, Handlogten’s presence will help the Gators immensely.
Of course, in the portal era, even a perfectly constructed team needs time to gel and that’s certainly the case with Florida.
KenPom rated the Gators’ defense in the top 30 last season, and for them to stay in that neighborhood, Handlogten and Seton Hall transfer Tyrese Samuel will need to learn to play together right away.
As a tandem, they stand 7-foot-1 and 6-foot-10, respectively, so Florida will be able to battle with any team in the country in the paint.
But great defense requires more than height and length; it requires teamwork.
That’s why I believe Golden, who despite a setback last season, remains one of the best up-and-coming coaches at just 38 years old.
He led San Francisco to its first NCAA tournament berth in 24 years in 2022 and he has the goods to surprise the SEC and the nation this year.