News of Jay Wright’s retirement sent shockwaves through the college basketball world Wednesday, as the coaching giant leaves Villanova after 21 years, 16 NCAA tournaments, four Final Fours and two national championships.
Including his seven years with Hofstra, where he had another two tourney trips, Wright’s career record was 642-282. With him on the sideline, Villanova was always thought to have a chance to not only win the Big East, but go the distance.
Without him, those odds are a little longer. Villanova went from +1800 to win the 2023 national title to +3000 on Tipico Sportsbook. The odds remain 11th shortest but are now tied with five other teams.
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Villanova hired Wright’s former assistant Kyle Neptune to replace him. Neptune was the head coach at Fordham last season, leading the team to a 14-win increase over the previous year with a 16-16 record. He’ll adopt a Wildcats team losing two of its best players from this past season, graduate seniors Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels. And with another top player, Justin Moore, rehabbing a torn Achilles.
2023 NCAA Title Odds
- Houston +1000
- Duke +1200
- Kansas, North Carolina +1300
- UCLA +1400
- Kentucky, Arkansas, Baylor +1500
- Arizona +1600
- Gonzaga +1700
- Texas Tech, Michigan, Villanova, Alabama, Tennessee +3000
