2024 College Basketball Power Rankings (Dec. 16)
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 continue with the Big East, home of the two-time defending national champion Connecticut Huskies. This 11-team conference plays its conference tournament in the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden in New York City. While UConn has won two straight NCAA Championships, there has been a new regular-season conference champion in each of the past four seasons. The Big East is one of the few conferences that did not expand or contract, relying on its rich history and elite level of basketball that started 45 years ago.
Let’s continue with our betting preview for reigning king of college basketball, the Connecticut Huskies.
2024-2025 College Basketball Season Preview: Connecticut Huskies
Conference: Big East
Head Coach: Danny Hurley (7th season)
2023-2024 Record: 37-3 (18-2)
ATS: 28-12
O/U: 16-23-1
Projected Starters: G Hassan Diarra; G Aidan Mahaney; G Liam McKneeley; F Alex Karaban; F Samson Johnson
Not much to improve when you are the two-time defending national champions. Danny Hurley has built the premier program in college basketball that currently sits atop the mountain, even ahead of legendary programs such as Kansas, Duke and North Carolina. The Huskies do lose over 54% of their minutes from last season, but they were very successful in the transfer portal, nabbing Aidan Mahaney (St. Mary’s) and Tarris Reed (Michigan). Freshman Liam McKneeley should see the starting lineup immediately as a top-10 recruit from the 2024 class. Hassan Diarra (6.1 PPG, 36% 3P) and Solo Ball (3.3 PPG) provide depth and leadership.
Key Players: Hassan Diarra/Aidan Mahaney
Losing four of your five starters from a championship team is a challenge, even for UConn. Diarra provided nice energy off the bench but only averaged 19.4 MPG. Mahaney was a quality scorer (13.9 PPG) in the WCC, but will the physicality of the Big East wear him down? Will that scoring translate or do we have the second coming of Nic Timberlake at Kansas? The growth of these two players will be directly tethered to UConn’s upside.
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