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 take a look at the Virginia Cavaliers, post-Tony Bennett.
2024-25 College Basketball Season Preview: Virginia Cavaliers
Conference: ACC
Head Coach: Ron Sanchez (Interim, 1st season)
2023-2024 Record: 23-11
ATS: 17-16-1
O/U: 15-19
Projected Starters: G Dai Dai Ames, G Jalen Warley, G Isaac McKneely, F TJ Power, C Blake Buchanan
The jaw-dropping news of Tony Bennett’s retirement sent shock waves through college basketball, especially since the announcement was so close to the start of the season. Ron Sanchez will be taking over as the head coach, and he doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. He was 72-78 in five years at Charlotte, but he did have a winning record in his final season there, and they were one of the best defensive teams in the C-USA in 2022-23.
One thing that Sanchez has done in his career is recruit. In each of his final three years at Charlotte, he signed the top recruiting class in the C-USA. He can find the talent, but he has to prove that he can provide winning results on the court as well. The roster is set, and we aren’t expecting any surprise portal entrants with the news which at least helps with continuity.
The Cavs best player Reece Beekman is off to the NBA while key pieces Ryan Dunn, Jordan Minor and Jacob Groves have started the next step in their basketball journeys as well. The players coming in fit the way Virginia plays and there is talk that the offense could be more dynamic this season. Portal additions Dai Dai Ames (5.2 PPG at Kansas State), Jalen Warley (7.5 PPG at FSU), Elijah Saunders (6.2 PPG at SDSU) and TJ Power (2.1 PPG at Duke) will be given big minutes right away and they’ll be hoping for contributions from their group of freshmen (Christian Bliss, Ishan Sharma, Anthony Robinson).
Key Player: Isaac McKneely/Blake Buchanan
McKneely is the clear leader of this team and put together some player-only meetings following Tony Bennett’s retirement, which tells us that he cares enough to stick around and make this work. McKneely is a certified sniper and shot 44% from long-range was near the top of the ACC. He is a candidate to be an All-ACC performer, and his scoring ability will be important for the success of this program going forward. He has been super-efficient, but that will have to continue as he inevitably takes more shots and has a higher usage rate.
Sophomore big man Blake Buchanan is the lone returner in the front court from last year. As I’ve mentioned many times before, experience is the key to success in college basketball right now and that’s something Blake brings to the Cavs. His minutes are not guaranteed by any means with TJ Power and Elijah Saunders joining the team so he will need to show vast improvement in his second collegiate season.
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