Gross Bombs: NFL Props for Week 16
Josh Gross
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 Utah Utes.
2024-2025 College Basketball Season Preview: Utah Utes
Conference: Pac-12
Head Coach: Craig Smith (4th season)
2023-2024 Record: 22-15 (9-11)
ATS: 19-19
O/U: 20-16-1
Projected Starters: G Miro Little; G Mason Madsen; F Gabe Madsen; F Keanu Dawes; C Lawson Lovering
Head coach Craig Smith rode big man Branden Carlson to the NIT semifinals, eventually succumbing to Indiana State. The Utes have improved three straight seasons under Smith’s guidance, going from 11 wins to 22 wins. It will be a huge challenge to keep that streak going this season.
The Utes are picked dead last in the Big 12 preseason poll, returning just 27.7% of their minutes from last season. Gabe Madsen (13.6 PPG, 38.6% 3P) will be joined by brother Mason Madsen, who transfers in from Boston College. Lawson Lovering (6.2 PPG) and Hunter Erickson (4.7 PPG) are the main returning contributors, but Smith worked the portal transfer to bring in a wide variety of new talent.
Ezra Ausar is a 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward who averaged 11.4 PPG and 4.7 RPG for East Carolina last season. Miro Little didn’t play much at Baylor last season but could nab a starting backcourt spot to start the season. Forward Keanu Dawes was once a recruiting target for coach Smith, and joined the Utes from Rice, along with 6-foot-8 Mike Sharavjamts who played previously at San Francisco and Dayton.
Key Players: Gabe/Mason Madsen
Any chance of success runs through the Madsen brothers. They are both great shooters, which is what Utah will need to rely on to stay competitive. Lovering has huge shoes to fill with Carlson’s departure to the G League. The Madsens need to score, rebound, and do it all for Utah. They will be attractive on player props, but that’s it.
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