Week 11 NFL Moneyline Underdogs
Mike Randle
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 Kansas State Wildcats.
2024-2025 College Basketball Season Preview: Kansas State Wildcats
Conference: Big 12
Head Coach: Jerome Tang (3rd Season)
2023-2024 Record: 19-15 (8-10)
ATS: 17-17
O/U: 17-16-1
Projected Starters: G Dug McDaniel; G CJ Jones; F Coleman Hawkins; F Achor Achor; F David N’Guessan
Jerome Tang waited 19 years for a college basketball head coaching job, and he delivered two years ago with a magical run to the Elite Eight. Last season, he only returned 35.9% of his minutes, and the expected regression followed. Kansas State dropped from fourth to tenth in the Big 12, and struggled mightily after a blistering 14-4 start, including 4-1 in conference. The Wildcats lost seven of their last eight games and bowed out to Iowa in the first round of the NIT. Tang loaded up in the transfer portal, nabbing eight new commits and ranking 12th overall in transfer team rankings per 247sports. This includes three projected starters in Dug McDaniel (Michigan), Achor Achor (Samford) and Coleman Hawkins (Illinois).
Key Player: Coleman Hawkins
For the second straight year, the Wildcats have an enigmatic person as the key player. Last year, it was Arthur Kaluma, who struggled to reach that potential he flashed at the end of his freshman season at Creighton. This year it is Hawkins, who brings a wide range of production outcomes each night. Hawkins posted 30 points and five steals against Iowa Feb. 24, then just four points against the same Hawkeyes team less than three weeks later. Hawkins can be a disruptive defensive force when he chooses, but can Tang find a way to motivate a player that can disappear for minutes or games at a time?
Projection
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