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 Cincinnati Bearcats.
2024-2025 College Basketball Season Preview: Cincinnati Bearcats
Conference: Big 12
Head Coach: Wes Miller (4th Season)
2023-2024 Record: 22-15 (7-11)
ATS: 19-18
O/U: 19-18
Projected Starters: G Jizzle James; G Dan Skillings Jr.; G Simas Lukosius; F Dillon Mitchell; C Aziz Bandaogo
Competing in the Big 12 is never easy, but first-year member Cincinnati performed admirably. After a five-win improvement entering last season, Cincinnati sprinted out to a 12-2 start before conference play. The Bearcats had a nice run in the Big 12 Conference Tournament, earning two wins over West Virginia and a 20-point blowout of Kansas. Cincinnati ended the year with a close loss to Indiana State in the NIT Quarterfinals.
The Bearcats bring back six of their best eight players from last season, but Wes Miller has already expressed concern about the absence of defensive stalwart John Newman. They do get Aziz Bandaogo without the waiver issues from last season, which is the perfect interior balance to star guard Jizzle James. Miller said he has never had a freshman in his 14 years as a head coach who worked harder and more consistently than James. Miller has a treasure chest of talent including redshirt freshman Rayvon Griffith, three transfers and freshman Tyler Betsey. Even with the recent season-ending knee injury to freshman Tyler McKinley, there is plenty of depth on this roster.
Key Player: Dillon Mitchell
Mitchell is an elite athlete with incredible upside that joins the Bearcats after two seasons with the Texas Longhorns. He was a top-10 prospect recruited by Chris Beard, and now joins Wes Miller as one of the best transfers in college basketball. Mitchell posted eight double-doubles last season and started 71 games in his two years with the Longhorns. He is an elite prospect and rounds out this roster with a legit NBA prospect.
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