Best MLB Bets Today – Free (Thursday 10/17)
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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 start with our betting preview for the Purdue Boilermakers. 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: Purdue Boilermakers
Conference: Big Ten
Head Coach: Matt Painter (20th season)
2023-2024 Record: 34-5 (17-3)
ATS: 21-16-2
O/U: 23-16
Projected Starters: G Fletcher Loyer; G Braden Smith; G Myles Colvin; F Camden Heide; F Trey Kaufman-Renn
Purdue enjoyed one of the most historic seasons in its history, falling just a game shy of the Boilermakers’ first national title. Head coach Matt Painter has led Purdue to back-to-back Big Ten regular season titles but lacked that signature deep run in March. Painter needed last season, Purdue fans needed last season, and college basketball needed last season.
Purdue’s roster has no transfers this season, an incredibly refreshing approach after losing National Player of the Year Zach Edey to the NBA. Their elite backcourt returns with Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith fresh off the experience of guiding a Final Four trip. Purdue still returns over 54% of their minutes, with veteran forwards in Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman-Renn. Never at a loss for shooters, the Boilermakers hope sophomore Camden Heide can make his 18-point and 4-for-4 3P performance against Rutgers a regular occurrence. Sprinkle in a pair of 7-footers in Will Berg (7-foot-2) and Daniel Jacobsen (7-foot-4), and if any team can recover from losing a player such as Zach Edey, it’s this year’s Purdue iteration.
Key Players: Braden Smith/Fletcher Loyer
The entire focus switches to the backcourt with the junior tandem of Loyer and Smith. Both are elite shooters (43% 3P or better) but need to develop to all-around scorers. Can they create without the National Player of the Year forcing sagging defenses to give up open shots? This team lacks a wing creator, putting a heavy burden on the broad but diminutive shoulders of Smith and Loyer.
Projection
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