Prime-Time First TD Bets — Monday Night Football, Week 16
Alex Christenson
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 Ohio State Buckeyes. 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: Ohio State Buckeyes
Conference: Big Ten
Head Coach: Jake Diebler (1st Season)
2023-2024 Record: 22-14 (9-11)
ATS: 17-19
O/U: 22-14
Projected Starters: G Bruce Thornton; G Meechie Johnson; F Micah Parrish; G Ques Glover; F Aaron Bradshaw
Ohio State started 12-2 with a neutral-court win over Alabama and sat at 2-1 heading into the heart of the Big Ten season. Once the calendar flipped to 2024, the Buckeyes train went off the tracks. The Buckeyes swapped out head coach Chris Holtmann for Jake Diebler, which led to an instant home upset over then-No.2 Purdue. The Buckeyes also made a nice run in the postseason, falling 79-77 in the NIT quarterfinals to Georgia. The transfer portal produced two talented, and former McDonald’s All-Americans in Aaron Bradshaw (Kentucky) and Sean Stewart (Duke), with the perfect “glue guy” in Micah Parrish from San Diego State. The backcourt is solid with Bruce Thornton (15.7 PPG), South Carolina transfer Meechie Johnson Jr. (14.1 PPG), Samford transfer Ques Glover (14.7 PPG) and defensive specialist Evan Mahaffey. It’s hard to see a freshman cracking the rotation, but the Buckeyes have two good ones in 6-foot-6 Colin White (Ohio’s Mr. Basketball) and four-star recruit John Mobley Jr.
Key Player: Meechie Johnson
The enigmatic Johnson was the bellwether for South Carolina last season, going 16-5 in games he scored double-digits. Johnson raised his average almost two points per game and crested the 4.0 rebound mark for the first time in his career. He is a native of Columbus and played for two seasons with Ohio State before transferring to South Carolina. He needs to improve his shot selection (37% FG) but has the ability to take over the offense and make late-game shots. There is a lot of new talent on this team, but Johnson will expect to be a focal point. If he is, and Ohio State produces, all will be fine. But suppose he’s not?
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