Week 11 NFL Moneyline Underdogs
Mike Randle
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 Xavier Musketeers.
2024-2025 College Basketball Season Preview: Xavier Musketeers
Conference: Big East
Head Coach: Sean Miller (3rd season)
2023-2024 Record: 16-18 (9-11)
ATS: 16-18
O/U: 17-17
Projected Starters: G Dayvion McKnight; G Dante Maddox; G Ryan Conwell; F Marcus Foster; F Zach Freemantle
Sean Miller had never coached a team with a losing record before last season. The summer loss of Zach Freemantle to another foot injury was devastating and directly contributed to a lackluster 4-5 start. Losing guard Desmond Claude (16.6 PPG) to USC was also a shock, and watching big man Abou Ousmane (6.7 PPG, 6.4 RPG) chose to spend his final season rebuilding Oklahoma State was also a surprise. Miller can certainly coach, but his first goal was finding bodies. Xavier ranked top-30 in the transfer portal with seven big names, led by Cam’Ron Fletcher (FSU) and John Hugley (Oklahoma). Both have major injuries concerns, but massive production upside if healthy. Ryan Conwell (Indiana State), Marcus Foster (Furman) and Dante Maddox Jr. (Toledo) all provide flammable scoring.
Key Player: Ryan Conwell/Marcus Foster
Miller is such a great coach he turned UTEP-transfer Souley Boum into a legit Big East Player of the Year candidate. He excels at finding explosive scorers from small schools and putting them in positions to succeed at the Big East level. McKnight is the leader, but Conwell and Foster have the most scoring upside and are critical if either/both Jerome Hunter/Zach Freemantle aren’t ready to contribute at a high level. Xavier ranked 31st overall in adjusted tempo per KenPom, including first in the Big East. I suspect that will happen again due to necessity.
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