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 Texas Tech Red Raiders.
2024-2025 College Basketball Season Preview: Texas Tech Red Raiders
Conference: Big 12
Head Coach: Grant McCasland (2nd season)
2023-2024 Record: 23-11 (11-7)
ATS: 15-18-1
O/U: 20-14
Projected Starters: G Elijah Hawkins; G Chance McMillian; G Devan Cambridge; F Darrion Williams; F Federiko Federiko
My Texas Tech preview one year ago started with the following sentence: It was a disastrous season in Lubbock, Texas.
This year?
It was a fantastic first season for Grant McCasland in Lubbock, Texas.
The Red Raiders finished 23-11 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament despite losing starter Devan Cambridge Dec. 6 to a season-ending knee injury. Texas Tech’s ability to navigate the Big 12 despite that loss and earn road victories over Texas, Oklahoma and a 29-point blowout of Kansas at home speaks to how great a coach McCasland is. This season, the Red Raiders will welcome four impact transfers in JT Toppin (New Mexico), Elijah Hawkins (Minnesota), Kevin Overton (Drake) and Fede Federiko (Pittsburgh). All of those players should fit in with McCasland’s pressure defensive scheme, which jumpstarted Texas Tech to a 14-2 record and 3-0 start last year in conference play.
Key Player: Devan Cambridge/Darrion Williams
The most important two-way players are Cambridge and Darrion Williams.
Williams impressed in his first season as a transfer from Nevada, posting 11.4 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 46% from 3P range while pilfering 1.2 steals per contest. He is a powerful 6-foot-6 wing in the true NBA mold, and teams with Cambridge to make a versatile and complete forward tandem. Cambridge started to cook right before his injury, posting 17 points and 7 rebounds in the Big East-Big 12 battle against Michigan, and then 16 points before fouling out against Butler in an overtime loss. Their health, and ability to influence the game on both ends of the floor is critical to a McCasland program.
Projection
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem.
