College Football Best Bets of the Week: Week 9
Walter Waddell
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 continue with the largest conference in college basketball, the Big Ten. This conference underwent massive changes, adding four new teams from the Pac-12 in Washington, USC, Oregon and UCLA. The expansion has not diluted the competitive level of the Big Ten, ranking third (same as last year) in KenPom preseason rankings.
Let’s check out our betting preview for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I give a huge shout-out to our newest contributor, Gus Kearns, for his extensive research on the Big Ten.
2024-2025 College Basketball Season Preview: Nebraska Cornhuskers
Conference: Big Ten
Head Coach: Fred Hoiberg (6th Season)
2023-2024 Record: 23-11 (12-8)
ATS: 21-13
O/U: 22-11-1
Projected Starters: G Rollie Worster; G Connor Essegian; F Brice Williams; F Juwan Gary; F Braxton Meah
Nebraska was predicted 12th in the Big Ten preseason poll and finished fifth. That’s all you need to know about Fred Hoiberg as a coach. He always exceeds expectations. The Cornhuskers returned to March Madness for the first time since the 2014 season, losing a physical game to Texas A&M in the No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup. The Cornhuskers displayed toughness and grit, highlighted by a 88-72 win over No. 1-ranked Purdue.
Nobody works the transfer portal as well as Hoiberg, and Nebraska needed to do exactly that this offseason to rebuild the lineup around two core senior players in Brice Williams (13.4 PPG, 39% 3P) and Juwan Gary (11.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG). Williams is a three-level scorer and Gary is a strong two-way player with a nasty streak. Transfers Connor Essegian (Wisconsin) and Gavin Griffiths (Rutgers) will help space the floor. Nebraska brought in size through the transfer portal in 7-foot-1 Braxton Meah (Washington), 6-foot-10 Andrew Morgan (NDSU) and 6-foot-9 Berke Buyuktuncel (UCLA).
Key Player: Rollie Worster
Worster is a versatile guard who joins the Cornhuskers after three seasons with Utah. He only played in 16 games last season before a lower-leg injury ended his year. The versatile 6-foot-5 senior averaged 9.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 5.5 APG with the Utes, along with a sneaky 1.4 SPG. His versatility and experience at the high-major level are critical characteristics that Hoiberg can maximize for another great season in Nebraska.
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