NBA Postseason Best Bets (5/17)
Alex Christenson
The college basketball season is less than three weeks away, and here at FTN Bets 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 start with the best conference in college basketball, the Big 12. Last season ended a three-year streak of Big 12 representation in the NCAA Championship game, including consecutive championships from Baylor (2020-2021) and Kansas (2021-2022). This year, the conference will add four new teams in Houston, BYU, Cincinnati and UCF. With 14 total teams, will we see a change with the top teams, or will the dominance of national powerhouses such as Kansas, Texas and Baylor be magnified further?
Let’s take a look at our betting preview for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
2023-2024 Oklahoma State Cowboys Betting Preview
Conference: Big 12
Head Coach: Mike Boynton (7th season)
2021-2022 Record: 20-16 (8-10)
ATS: 16-19
O/U: 17-19
Projected Starters: G Javon Small; G Bryce Thompson; G Quion Williams; F Eric Dailey Jr.; C Isaiah Miranda
Oklahoma State is at a critical point with Mike Boynton as head coach. He lost three critical players in the offseason to the transfer portal. All three would have been fifth-year starters, leaving a massive void for what could have been a sleeper team in the Big 12. Avery Anderson transferred within the conference to TCU, 6-foot-10 Kaleb Boone joined UNLV and former co-Big 12 defensive player of the year Moussa Cisse committed to Ole Miss after sitting out a season. That is an alarming amount of talent leaving Stillwater, and it is not a good look for Boynton. This was a Cowboys team that was 16-9 on February 11, riding a five-game winning streak, despite losing Anderson for the season with a wrist injury just one week earlier. A five-game losing streak followed with a second-round exit to Texas in the Big 12 tournament, and season-ending home loss to North Texas in the NIT. The Cowboys now return just 36.8% of their minutes and will hope players such as Javon Small (East Carolina), Jarius Hicklen (North Florida) and Isaiah Miranda (NC State) can acclimate quickly.
Key Player: Justin McBride
The forward position for the Cowboys (alongside fellow freshman Eric Dailey Jr.) seems to be stabilized by the arrival of freshman Justin McBride. The 6-foot-8 student-athlete can handle the ball, score it inside and outside and create offensive opportunities for others. McBride found team success on the US FIBA youth squads/mini-camps/rosters and played winning basketball on the EYBL circuit as well.
Projection: Boynton always has the Cowboys competitive, but it’s been six years of close losses without many elite victories. Boynton’s extension was negotiated by former athletic director Mike Holder, who retired in 2021. Oklahoma State needs progress this season or Boynton’s seat will get hot in 2024-2025. The issue remains the conference, which contains many of the elite teams in the nation. Bryce Thompson brings a capped ceiling, and I have questions about Small transferring up from East Carolina. Small replaced Tristan Newton, who carried a high variance of results despite playing on last year’s national championship team, Connecticut. I’m concerned about the Cowboys this season.
How I’m Betting Oklahoma State: Certainly going to be fading the Cowboys, especially early in the season. The Cowboys started 1-4 ATS in the non-conference last season, with a much more experienced team. Boynton can certainly coach defense, which is why Oklahoma State started 12-5 to the under last year. The lines for the Cowboys will be inflated against quality mid-majors, which is where I will look to pounce.
