NBA Best Bets of the Day (12/2)
Alex Christenson
Check out our entire college basketball season preview!
The college basketball season is less than three weeks away, and here at FTN Fantasy we have you covered for what promises to be another thrilling year of upsets and incredible finishes. I will be taking you around the country with a betting preview of the major conferences. I recap the betting trends from last season, list projected starters, preview the season, identify a key player, and reveal how I’m backing or fading each team.
Let’s start with the best conference in college basketball, the Big 12. Last season, the conference added four new teams in Houston, BYU, Cincinnati and UCF. This year, the conference expanded to 16 teams, with Arizona State, Utah, Colorado and Arizona bolstering an already-elite conference. The Big 12 says farewell to Texas and Oklahoma, who are now in the SEC.
Let’s take a look at our betting preview for the BYU Cougars.
2024-2025 College Basketball Season Preview: BYU Cougars
Conference: Big 12
Head Coach: Kevin Young (1st season)
2023-2024 Record: 23-11 (10-8)
ATS: 20-14
O/U: 16-18
Projected Starters: G Dallin Hall; G Trevin Knell; F Richie Saunders; F Egor Demin; C Fousseyni Traore
The Cougars had a much better inaugural year in the Big 12 than I expected, finishing a respectable 10-8 in conference play with victories over Iowa State, Baylor and Kansas away. It was a brilliant job by Mark Pope that earned a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars lost to Duquesne in the opening round, but the year was an extreme success as a whole.
Now, first-year head coach Kevin Young takes over after Pope headed to Kentucky. Young has never been a head coach at any level but comes with NBA experience from the Phoenix Suns the past four years, including the last three as associate head coach. He kept seven players from last season, led by Fousseyni Traore (11.0 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game) and Trevin Knell (11.2 PPG). The Cougars added transfers Keba Keita from Utah and Mawot Mag from Rutgers, both with elite defensive ability.
Key Player: Kanon Catchings
Catchings was the highly touted prospect who played with Overtime Elite and originally committed to Purdue before switching to BYU. He is a four-star forward and top-50 recruit, becoming the highest-ever recruit signed by BYU. Catchings has great length and shot-blocking ability, while playing both inside and outside on the offensive end. Will the late decommit from Purdue be a red flag? Or will Catchings embrace his role as an automatic leader on a BYU team starving for playmakers. He may not start at the beginning of the season, but Catchings will be on the floor for significant minutes right from the start.
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