College Basketball Handicapping Articles

Expert College Basketball Handicapping: Major Conference Dark Horses
by Ryan Cobbett - 11/4/2024

With the 2024-25 college basketball season on deck, it is time to identify some dark horse candidates. As we find ourselves in the Transfer Portal and NIL era, we are finding newfound life in some programs while more parity around the nation, keeping the field much tighter than before. There has been some major retooling of rosters all offseason, and now it is time to find some squads who could be agents of chaos this season. Whether it’s through veteran lineups or a deep transfer class, it is time to see who this year’s North Carolina State or Clemson is.

Expert College Basketball Handicapping: Mid Major Dark Horses
by Ryan Cobbett - 11/4/2024

With the 2024-25 college basketball season on deck, it is time to identify some dark horse candidates. As we find ourselves in the Transfer Portal and NIL era, we are finding newfound life in some programs while more parity around the nation, keeping the field much tighter than before. There has been some major retooling of rosters all offseason, and now it is time to find some squads who could be agents of chaos this season. Whether it’s through veteran lineups or a deep transfer class, it is time to see who this year’s Oakland or Grand Canyon is.

2024-25 Kansas Jayhawks Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 11/3/2024

Last season the Kansas Jayhawks basketball squad had a rather disappointing end to the year thanks to injuries. Kansas started the season going 13-1, with their lone loss being against #4 Marquette. However, due to injuries to key players like Kevin McCullar Jr. and Hunter Dickinson, the Jayhawks limped to the finish line, losing three of their last four games in the regular season, and they were blown out in their first Big 12 Conference Tournament game, losing to Cincinnati by 20.

2024-25 Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 11/1/2024

The Crimson Tide’s 2023-24 basketball season started off incredibly mild, as they opened the season going just 6-5 while losing three straight games to ranked teams. After limping through their nonconference schedule, Alabama would flip a switch and dominate their conference opponents. They went on to finish 13-5 in the Southeastern Conference while going 21-10 overall in the regular season. They did struggle against ranked teams, even in conference play, as they went 2-7 against them. After a solid performance during the regular season, Alabama was knocked off in their first game in the conference tournament, as they lost to Florida by 14.

2024-25 Connecticut Huskies Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 10/31/2024

The Connecticut Huskies basketball team lost just three games on their way to being crowned champions of the nation. Night in and night out the Huskies dominated the opposition. They went 6-2 against ranked teams last season and finished with a +70-point differential. They lost two conference games, but their February 20th loss to #15 Creighton was the last time the Huskies would lose a game. They breezed through the Big East Tournament, going 3-0 with a +38-point differential and claimed the 1-Seed in the East Region.

2024-25 Houston Cougars Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 10/31/2024

The Houston Cougars basketball program put together one of the best regular seasons in recent memory. They started the season winning their first 14 games and would finish with a 28-3 regular season record and a 15-3 Big 12 record. Their three losses in the regular season were by a combined 18 points, and they went 5-1 against AP Top 25 teams. They dominated their first two conference tournament games, beating TCU and Texas Tech by a combined 28 points, but the tides turned quickly as they were blown out by Iowa State in the title game, losing by 28 points.

2024-25 Iowa State Cyclones Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 10/31/2024

Iowa State basketball is in the midst of one of the greatest stretches in program history. They are coming off a 24-win regular season and a 13-5 Big 12 record. They struggled a bit early on when they lost to Virginia Tech and #12 Texas A&M in back-to-back games, but then they hit their stride and finished their nonconference schedule with an 11-2 record.

2024-25 Duke Blue Devils Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 10/30/2024

The Blue Devils posted a 24-7 record in the regular season last year while posting a 15-5 conference record. They picked up some key wins in the nonconference portion of their schedule, including wins over #18 Michigan State and #10 Baylor. They were swept by the Tar Heels in their two meetings last season, losing the rivalry set by a combined 14 points. Despite dominating the regular season, Duke’s ACC Tournament time was brief, as they were upended by the eventual tournament champion, North Carolina State. Despite the early exit in the ACC Tournament, the Blue Devils were headed into the Big Dance as a 4-Seed in the South Region.

2024-25 Gonzaga Bulldogs Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 10/30/2024

Last season was seemingly like any other for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. They breezed through conference play and grabbed a spot in the Big Dance. However, if you look a bit deeper, it was an off year for the Bulldogs in many ways. Their best nonconference win was against Syracuse, but they lost all their other games against highly competitive teams like #2 Purdue, #5 UConn while even losing to the likes of Washington and San Diego State. However, they still had a 10-4 record before starting their incredibly easy conference schedule, but the road bumps continued.

2024-25 Baylor Bears Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 10/29/2024

The Baylor Bears really profited from their dominant nonconference play last season. They would go 11-2 in nonconference games, picking up key resume building wins against Auburn and Florida, while their lone two losses were to future tournament teams in Michigan State and #21 Duke.

2024-25 North Carolina Tar Heels Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 10/28/2024

North Carolina had one of the best regular seasons in the country last season. They dominated their nonconference schedule and picked up wins over #20 Arkansas, #10 Tennessee and #7 Oklahoma. The Tar Heels would then proceed to finish with a 17-3 record in the ACC conference, losing those three games by a combined 12 points.

2024-25 Arizona Wildcats Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 10/28/2024

The Arizona Wildcats did not lose consecutive games last season, as they dominated their way to a 24-7 regular season record and a 15-5 conference record. They opened up the season winning eight straight games, including wins over #2 Duke (on the road) and wins over #21 Michigan State and #23 Wisconsin. Then in conference play, they had two extended winnings streaks of four games or more on their way to completely dominating the Pac-12.

2024-25 Auburn Tigers Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 10/26/2024

The Auburn Tigers had one of the best regular seasons in the country last season, where they went 24-7 overall and 13-5 in conference play. They started the season 5-2, but then they elevated their play, winning 11 straight games. The Tigers finished the regular season winning four of their last five games, with their lone loss coming on the road to #4 Tennessee.

2024-25 Tennessee Volunteers Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 10/25/2024

At one point in the regular season last year, the Tennessee Volunteers found themselves just one game over .500 as they started the year 4-3. Those three losses came at the hands of #1 Kansas, #2 Purdue, #17 UNC. After that, they didn’t look back and finished with a 24-7 regular season record. Tennessee dominated in conference play as well, going 14-4 against Southeastern Conference opponents.

2024-25 Texas A&M Aggies Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 10/24/2024

The Texas A&M Aggies got hot later in the season and secured their spot in the NCAA Tournament. Texas A&M won three straight games to close out the regular season and then picked up two wins in the Southeastern Conference Tournament over Ole Miss and #9 Kentucky, before ultimately falling short as they lost to Florida in the semifinals.

2024-25 Purdue Boilermakers Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 10/24/2024

Last season was one for the ages for Boilermakers fans. Purdue went 28-3 during the regular season last year and posted a 17-3 conference record. All three of their regular season losses were on the road. They dominated a tough nonconference schedule that included #11 Gonzaga, #7 Tennessee, #4 Marquette, #1 Arizona, and Alabama.

2024-25 Creighton Bluejays Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 10/23/2024

Last season, the Creighton Bluejays went 23-8 in the regular season and finished third in the Big East Conference with a 14-6 record, behind UConn and Marquette. After a dominant nonconference schedule, where the Bluejays took down Iowa, Nebraska, and Alabama, they hit a brief skid in conference play, losing their first two games before winning seven of their next eight.

2024-25 Arkansas Razorbacks Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 10/23/2024

Arkansas fans were disappointed last season after the Razorbacks limped through conference play. The season started with false hope, as Arkansas beat #7 Duke, but disaster soon followed. Their win against Duke was their lone win against an AP Top 25 team. They finished the regular season going 15-16 and 6-12 in conference play.

2024-25 Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 10/22/2024

The Bearcats did not earn their spot in the preseason AP Top 25 based off last year’s results. After starting the season winning 12 of their first 14 games, Cincinnati went just 7-11 in conference play last season, finishing 11th in the Big 12. They went 22-15 overall and posted a 4-8 record against AP Top 25 opponents. After making some noise in the conference tournament, that included beating Kansas by 20, the Bearcats earned extended postseason play as they got a spot in the NIT Tournament.

2024-25 Florida Gators Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship
by Ryan Cobbett - 10/22/2024

The Florida Gators showcased one of the most explosive offenses in the country and gave us some real classics down the home stretch of the regular season. In what seemed like shootout after shootout, Florida finished 11-7 in the Southeastern Conference, which was the sixth best conference record.