Gross Bombs: NFL Props for Week 16
Josh Gross
Check out our entire college basketball season preview!
The college basketball season is less than two weeks away, and here at FTN Fantasy we have you covered for what promises to be another thrilling year of upsets and incredible finishes. We will be previewing each team from all of the major conferences along with some mid-majors as well. We will recap betting trends from last season, list projected starters, preview the season and talk about any key players for that program.
The ACC is home to some of the most storied programs in the history of college basketball. Lately, the Final Four champion has come out of the Big East or the Big 12 but the ACC has a great chance to reclaim the title of the best conference in CBB. There has been an influx of talent via the transfer portal, good old-fashioned recruiting and the additions of SMU, Stanford and Cal.
Let’s start things off with media darling and preseason favorite, the Duke Blue Devils.
2024-25 College Basketball Season Preview: Duke Blue Devils
Conference: ACC
Head Coach: Jon Scheyer (3rd season)
2023-2024 Record: 27-9
ATS: 21-14-1
O/U: 13-23
Projected Starters: G Tyrese Proctor, G Caleb Foster, F Maliq Brown, F Cooper Flagg, C Khaman Maluach
Not only is the deepest Duke team in years, but their bench is filled with high quality players who could start for a number of other programs. This will give Jon Scheyer a crazy amount of lineup flexibility and it will be difficult for their opponents to plan for the potential combos.
Duke is always going to recruit at a high level, regardless of the coach in charge but they were able to improve their roster despite losing important pieces like Kyle Filipkowski, Jared McCain, Mark Mitchell, Jeremy Roach and Sean Stewart.
In addition to key returners Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster, the Blue Devils will feature top prospects Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach and Kon Knueppel. Get used to the Knueppel family as Kon has brothers and they’re set to be the next Plumlees within the program. Transfers Sion James (14 PPG at Tulane), Maliq Brown (9.5 PPG at Syracuse), Mason Gillis (6.5 PPG at Duke) and Cameron Sheffield (7.6 PPG at Rice) will contribute at varying degrees.
Key Player: Cooper Flagg
The expectations for the freshman are sky-high, and many are calling him a generational talent that will lead Duke to their first title since 2015. Only three freshmen in history have won the Wooden Award, which were Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Zion Wiliamson. That’s elite company but there is no doubt about Flagg’s ability to be the best player in all of college basketball.
I’m cautiously optimistic about Flagg, but he has the tools to be an incredible player. In the transfer portal-era, experience is king and there are a lot of teams out there with enough upperclassmen to cause trouble for even the best freshman. However, Flagg has looked the part in both of Duke’s exhibition games, which obviously have to be taken with a grain of salt. However, it’s encouraging to see that he scored 22 points on 50% shooting and a usage rate of 24.5% in his first glorified scrimmage against Lincoln and added 9 points/4 rebounds/3 assists in a blowout win over Arizona State in just 20 minutes of action. Needless to say, he looks the part, but we will see what he is made of in his first real test of the season Nov. 12 against the Kentucky Wildcats.
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