MLB Postseason Preview: FTN Model American League Championship Series Projections and Odds
MLB Dream
Frank Brank
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 each of the teams from 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 start with our betting preview for the Kansas Jayhawks.
2024-2025 College Basketball Season Preview: Kansas Jayhawks
Conference: Big 12
Head Coach: Bill Self (22nd season)
2023-2024 Record: 23-11 (10-8)
ATS: 13-20-1
O/U: 16-17-1
Projected Starters: GDajuan Harris; G Rylan Griffen; G AJ Storr; F K.J. Adams Jr., C Hunter Dickinson
Kansas was never right all season, struggling to find an answer at shooting guard. Towson transfer Nic Timberlake greatly disappointed, putting more pressure on Kevin McCullar and Hunter Dickinson to carry the scoring load. Even with unexpected contributions from players such as freshman Johnny Furphy, the Jayhawks finished a disappointing 10-8 in Big 12 play. That was the worst conference mark for Kansas since 1988-1989.
Self has loaded up in the transfer portal, with a top-five class including Alabama’s Rylan Griffen, Noah Shelby from Rice, Shakeel Moore from Mississippi State and AJ Storr from Wisconsin. Sprinkle in South Dakota State’s Zeke Mayo (Summit League Player of the Year) and Self has more depth on this roster than in recent memory. Kansas carries the second-best odds ( 1000) to win the 2025 National Championship per DraftKings.
Key Players: Rylan Griffen & Zeke Mayo
Dickinson is a solid college player, but the Jayhawks are vulnerable in big games if the offense runs through him. Kansas always has slashers, but they need a consistent outside shooting threat to space the floor. Griffen was a key piece in Alabama’s Final Four run last season, shooting 39.2% from 3P range on 5.3 attempts per game.
Mayo is a do-it-all scorer who posted 18.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 3.5 APG while shooting 39.1% from 3P range. But that was in the Summit League, which puts a huge question mark about his projected production in the toughest conference in college basketball. Max Abmas joined Texas from Oral Roberts last year and was good, but not great. Mayo could be the best sixth man in the conference, a luxury Self has never enjoyed.
Projection
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