Gross Bombs: NFL Props for Week 16
Josh Gross
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 the St. John’s Red Storm.
2024-2025 College Basketball Season Preview: St. John’s Red Storm
Conference: Big East
Head Coach: Rick Pitino (2nd season)
2023-2024 Record: 20-13 (11-9)
ATS: 17-16
O/U: 18-14-1
Projected Starters: G Deivon Smith; G Kadary Richmond; G R.J. Luis; F Aaron Scott; C Zuby Ejiofor
Head coach Rick Pitino enters his second season with St. John’s, which historically should be a huge positive for the Red Storm. Here are Pitino’s records in his second season as head coach with a college program:
- Boston University (1980): 21-9
- Providence (1987): 25-9
- Kentucky (1991): 22-6
- Louisville (2003): 25-7
- Iona (2022): 25-8
The Red Storm start the season just outside the AP Top 25, but with their sights set on their first return to the NCAA Tournament since 2019. The Red Storm lost almost 76% of their minutes from last season but reloaded with the third-best transfer class. Pitino selectively chose transfers that excel on both ends of the floor with Utah’s Deivon Smith (1.1 SPG), 7-foot-1 USC center Vince Iwuchukwu, and nasty North Texas guard Aaron Scott (2.4 stocks per game). But the real prize of the entire transfer portal came from just over the Hudson River.
Key Player: Kadary Richmond
It’s scary to think how good Kadary Richmond can be under Pitino’s tutelage. Richmond is a future NBA player who can score (15.7 PPG), rebound (7.0 RPG), share (5.1 APG) and defend (2.2 SPG) all at an elite level. The presence of Smith will allow Richmond to blossom into an even better scorer and has the type of profile that can carry St. John’s directly to the Final Four in San Antonio.
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