Return of Harrison Twins Makes Kentucky NCAA Tournament Favorite

Kentucky is the 9/2 Favorite to Win the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

The start of the 2014-15 college basketball season may still be months away, but that does not mean there have not been some key events that have transpired since the Connecticut Huskies cut down the nets after winning their fourth national championship back on April 7. So while most bettors are busy wagering on baseball and/or handicapping the upcoming football season, following are three big stories that could play a role in determining who ultimately wins the 2015 NCAA basketball title...

Harrison Twins Return to Kentucky
The favored Wildcats may have lost the NCAA title game 60-54 to the Huskies, but they will enter this season as prohibitive favorites to play for the national championship again after receiving good news that twin guards Aaron and Andrew Harrison will play another year in Lexington. Kentucky will be without a few stars from last year's squad in NBA draftees Julius Randle (Los Angeles Lakers) and James Young (Boston Celtics), but head coach John Calipari has another top recruiting class coming in, with Top 10 players Trey Lyles and Karl Towns Jr. expected to replace them. The Wildcats opened at 12/1 to win the 2015 national title at the LVH SuperBook in Las Vegas, and they are now 9/2 there with the Harrisons coming back for their sophomore seasons (click here to view the latest college basketball future odds from the SuperBook).

SMU Loses Top Recruit to Chinese Pro League
Head coach Larry Brown led his Mustangs to the NIT title game last season in his second year there after being one of the top snubs of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee on Selection Sunday. While SMU lost to Minnesota 65-63 for the championship, this year's prospects looked to be even brighter with the expected addition of top recruit Emmanuel Mudiay, who reportedly decided to go pro on Tuesday with a 1-year, $1 million deal in China rather than play for the Mustangs due to potential eligibility issues. The 6-foot-5 point guard was viewed by many college basketball experts as a one-and-done player in college and the possible No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He will definitely be sorely missed by Brown this year, as SMU opened at 25/1 to win it all at the SuperBook and had fallen all the way down to 50/1 as of Monday, with the possibility of dropping even further now. Keep in mind, Detroit Pistons guard Brandon Jennings made a similar move in 2008 when he announced he would play professionally in Italy rather than attend Arizona, where he originally committed. Jennings ended up getting selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 10th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Texas Gains Top Unsigned Player Turner
The Longhorns had NBA star Kevin Durant for just one year while T.J. Ford and LaMarcus Aldridge both bolted for the pros after two seasons in Austin. Next in line to leave early as a potential lottery pick could be Myles Turner - a 7-foot center who was one of the last unsigned players in the country - after he decided to stay close to home and play for Texas. The Longhorns made the NCAA Tournament last year as a young team and should be even better this season with the addition of Turner, as they opened at 40/1 to win the 2015 national championship at the SuperBook and are already down to 25/1.