X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Overrated And Underrated College Basketball Teams for the 2024-25 Season

Braden Smith - NCAAB DFS Picks, College Basketball Rankings

A new college basketball season is right around the corner and that means it's time to fire up the overrated/underrated machine once again. The preseason AP Poll dropped a few weeks ago, so we have a new ranking of teams to react to.

The season officially kicks off on Monday, November 4, 2024, with a much-anticipated matchup between No. 8 Baylor and No. 6 Gonzaga to cap it off, a rematch of the two teams who met in the 2021 NCAA Final.

Not a ton of surprises here, but some teams jump out at first glance. There are a ton of unanswered questions heading into the new season that will be figured out over the coming months, but before we dive into all of that here are a couple of my Overrated and Underrated teams based on the recent poll. Now let's dive in, shall we?

 

Overrated Teams

Iowa State Cyclones (N0. 5)

The biggest surprise of the 2023-24 season may have been the Cyclones, who took a seventh place preseason Big 12 Coaches’ Poll ranking to a second place conference finish (eighth nationally in KenPom) that was capped by a Sweet Sixteen appearance. They are led by a great young coach in T.J. Otzelberger, who is one of the brightest defensive minds in the country. 

Four starters return highlighted by point guard Tamin Lipsey who is a legitimate contender for All-American status. The defensive chops of the Ames, IA native are second to none, and his offensive game is slightly underrated as well. The ceiling of this team truly rests on the shoulders of Lipsey, because the offense was a problem last year and figures to be once again this season.

The Cyclones went large chunks of gameplay in 2023-24 where they struggled mightily to put the ball in the basket, and it finally caught up to them in the NCAA Tournament -- as it does to almost all offensively challenged teams. Otzelberger didn’t bring in enough complementary offensive pieces for this team to take the next step and reach the Final Four.

If rising sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic can take a massive leap this season then it may be a different story, but I’m not buying this top-five ranking for the Cyclones.

Purdue Boilermakers (N0. 14)

I almost went with Indiana here, but their talent intrigues me so much that it caused me to change course. I'm sticking with the Boilermakers out of the new gargantuan Big Ten Conference because of one equally gargantuan human, Zach Edey. The two-time national award winner finally left for the NBA, and his departure precipitated a seismic programmatic shift on both ends of the floor for Purdue.

The good thing here is that the Boilermakers have the best coach in the conference in Matt Painter, and maybe the best player in point guard Braden Smith -- the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year. Betting against those two factors might be a fool's errand, but the rest of the roster just doesn’t excite me very much. It's made up of mostly glorified role players.

They have shooting, led by Smith’s backcourt mate Foster Loyer who improved drastically last season, but who else steps up? How do the others fare when a lot more responsibilities are placed on their shoulders? If anyone can keep this team contending for titles without Edey it’s Matt Painter, but I have several concerns with how this team adjusts in the post-Edey era.

 

Underrated Teams

Duke Blue Devils (No. 7)

Duke head coach Jon Scheyer has done an admirable job filling the shoes of the greatest college basketball coach of all time, Mike Krzyzewski. Since he took over, Duke has gone 54-18 (.750) and made the Elite Eight last season before falling to NC State’s Cinderella magic. Almost everyone is gone from that team, besides combo guard Tyrese Proctor, but Scheyer brought in a loaded class that was No. 1 by a wide margin before the year.

The class is headlined by Cooper Flagg, who is already at -500 to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft per Bovada. Flagg is the best freshman to come into college basketball since Anthony Davis. It’s nearly impossible to top the numbers of Zion Williamson, but Flagg could have a bigger impact overall due to his ridiculous defensive versatility to go along with an offensive game that has a deep bag.

He is the real deal and is also joined by marksman Kon Knueppel, who very well might be a top-10 shooter in college basketball already. Khaman Maluach will immediately be one of the most imposing big men in the country as a freshman at 7-2, 250 lbs. The forgotten man here is Isaiah Evans, who routinely put up massive scoring performances as a high school senior last year.

This class is ridiculous - comparable to the trio of Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish back in 2019. Add in some well-fitting transfer pieces that can provide depth and veteran leadership with Sion James (Tulane), Mason Gillis (Purdue), and Maliq Brown (Syracuse) and you have what might be the best team in the country. I expect Duke to win the ACC with ease.

Michigan Wolverines (unranked)

I had the Wolverines in this same spot heading into last year, and while that take crashed and burned quite aggressively, there's a lot to like about this program that found a new leader in Dusty May this offseason. May comes over from Florida Atlantic, most famous for his surprise Final Four run as a nine seed two years ago. He's a great adapter and roster builder while also deploying a suffocating defense.

Michigan needed a guy like May to come in and revitalize their program that was quickly losing steam under Juwan Howard. They have one of the more fun rosters in this league. Center Vladislav Goldin followed May to Ann Arbor, and he'll likely be the focal point on both ends of the floor. Danny Wolf comes over from Yale, who is one of the more versatile players in the country.

Think of a poor man's Robbie Avila. I'm so intrigued with how May will deploy these two seven-footers, and I have faith that he'll do it successfully. Tre Donaldson has been a productive player for Auburn in limited minutes and is a popular breakout candidate heading into his third year of college basketball.

He may start at the point, so Dusty could opt to go with Rubin Jones, a four-year player out of North Texas who improved his play-making abilities drastically last year. I also have it on good authority that incoming freshman three-star guard L.J. Cason is the real deal. He looked great in Michigan's recent scrimmage vs. Oakland and should get major minutes early.

Former five-star guard Nimari Burnett and versatile forward Will Tschetter also return to give the Wolverines added pop on offense. This team won't be competing for a national championship, but the more I study the roster the more I like it. Add in Dusty May and a great staff to lead them, and you have what should be a team that is on the cusp of top-25 status compared to their ninth-place rank in the Big Ten coaches' poll.

Underrated Honorable Mentions

St. John's Red Storm (No. 2 in Others receiving votes)

Will year two bring better results for head coach Rick Pitino with a better roster? Sign me up. I can't wait to see Kadary Richmond and Deivon Smith wreak havoc on opposing backcourts. This will be a scary team and one that could challenge for a first-place finish in the conference if UConn has some speed bumps along the way.

Kansas State Wildcats (No 6. in Others receiving votes)

Jerome Tang hit the portal HARD this offseason. The Wildcats have maybe my favorite crop of transfers with Dug McDaniel, Coleman Hawkins, Achor Achor, Ugonna Onyenso, and Brenden Hausen coming to Manhattan. This team will look completely different, but I think Tang will get them to gel nicely. Look for McDaniel to be the second coming of Markquis Nowell.

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Cam Whitmore2 hours ago

Considered Questionable For Wednesday
Ryan Rollins2 hours ago

Continues To Sit Wednesday
Kevon Looney2 hours ago

Expected To Return On Wednesday
Kyle Anderson2 hours ago

Questionable For Wednesday
Miles McBride3 hours ago

Remains On The Shelf Wednesday
Norman Powell3 hours ago

Will Not Play On Wednesday
Connor Bedard3 hours ago

Ends Drought With Two Assists
Sam Reinhart3 hours ago

Pushes Point Streak To 11 Games
Mark Scheifele3 hours ago

Celebrates Ninth Career Hat Trick
Evan Bouchard3 hours ago

Rocks Senators With Three-Point Period
Connor McDavid4 hours ago

Nets Two Goals During Three-Point Night
TB4 hours ago

Nicholas Paul Exits Early With Injury Tuesday
Zach Hyman4 hours ago

Sits Out Third Period Versus Senators
11 hours ago

Guardians' Stephen Vogt Named AL Manager Of The Year
Milwaukee Brewers11 hours ago

Pat Murphy Named NL Manager Of The Year
Bradley Beal14 hours ago

Still Out On Wednesday Evening
Jusuf Nurkic14 hours ago

Questionable Versus The Knicks
Anthony Davis15 hours ago

Will Play Against The Jazz
Stephen Curry15 hours ago

Back On The Injury Report For Wednesday
Jalen Johnson15 hours ago

Questionable Versus Golden State
Ben Sheppard16 hours ago

Considered Questionable For Wednesday
Jalen Green16 hours ago

Uncertain For Wednesday’s Game
Myles Turner16 hours ago

Considered Questionable For Wednesday
Cam Thomas16 hours ago

Will Not Play Tuesday
Giannis Antetokounmpo16 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Wednesday
Marcus Smart17 hours ago

Ruled Out For Tuesday
Cam Thomas17 hours ago

Is Questionable For Tuesday
Anfernee Simons17 hours ago

In Danger Of Missing Another Game
Deandre Ayton17 hours ago

Considered Doubtful For Wednesday
Kyle Lowry17 hours ago

To Miss Next Three Games
Jonas Brodin18 hours ago

Returns To Action
Joel Eriksson Ek18 hours ago

Returns To Wild Lineup
18 hours ago

Nick Pivetta Declines Boston's Qualifying Offer
Robert Thomas18 hours ago

Back For Blues Tuesday
Jose Siri18 hours ago

Mets Acquire Jose Siri From The Rays
Alexander Romanov18 hours ago

Rejoins Islanders Lineup
Brayden Point18 hours ago

Ready To Return Versus Penguins
Conor Garland18 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Tuesday
J.T. Miller18 hours ago

Takes Indefinite Leave For Personal Reasons
Jake Ferguson19 hours ago

"Will Be Hard-Pressed" To Play In Week 12
Alex Ovechkin19 hours ago

Considered Week-To-Week
Cooper Rush19 hours ago

Will Start In Week 12
Brandin Cooks19 hours ago

Cowboys Hoping Brandin Cooks Returns This Week
21 hours ago

Phillies To Meet With Juan Soto
22 hours ago

Luis Severino Rejects Qualifying Offer From Mets
Aaron Rodgers22 hours ago

' Status With Jets In Doubt For 2025?
22 hours ago

Willy Adames Declines Brewers Qualifying Offer
22 hours ago

Teoscar Hernandez Declines Qualifying Offer From Dodgers
22 hours ago

Juan Soto Declines Yankees' Qualifying Offer
New York Jets23 hours ago

Jets Fire GM Joe Douglas
Travis Konecny1 day ago

Stretches Point Streak To Seven Games
Sam Montembeault1 day ago

Records 30-Save Shutout Versus Oilers
William Eklund1 day ago

Scores Twice In Overtime Victory
Brett Leason1 day ago

Tallies Three Points In Win Over Stars
Brock McGinn1 day ago

Exits Win With Injury
Alex Ovechkin1 day ago

Evaluated For Leg Injury
Luke Schoonmaker1 day ago

Commands 10 Targets Amidst Teammate's Injury
CeeDee Lamb1 day ago

Remains Productive Despite Loss
Houston Texans2 days ago

Texans D/ST Finds End Zone In Victory At Dallas
Joe Mixon2 days ago

Extends Hot Streak Against Cowboys
Luis Gil2 days ago

Wins AL Rookie Of The Year Award
Jake Ferguson2 days ago

Won't Return On Monday
Paul Skenes2 days ago

Named 2024 NL Rookie Of The Year
Brock Purdy2 days ago

Day-To-Day With Shoulder Soreness
George Kittle2 days ago

Expected To Practice On Wednesday
CeeDee Lamb2 days ago

Officially Active On Monday Night
Nico Collins2 days ago

Won't Face Playing-Time Restrictions On Monday Night
New York Giants2 days ago

Brian Daboll On The Hot Seat In New York?
Brady Singer2 days ago

Reds, Royals Discussing Jonathan India, Brady Singer
Gardner Minshew II2 days ago

Raiders Sticking With Gardner Minshew II At QB
2 days ago

Sean Manaea To Reject Mets' Qualifying Offer
Dak Prescott2 days ago

Heading To Injured Reserve
2 days ago

Braves Have Interest In Walker Buehler
Isiah Pacheco2 days ago

Andy Reid On Isiah Pacheco: "We'll See How He Does In Practice"
2 days ago

Astros Interested In Willy Adames
Gabe Davis2 days ago

Won't Return In 2024
Mike Evans2 days ago

Seen At Practice On Monday
CeeDee Lamb2 days ago

Tracking Towards Playing On Monday Night
Charles Oliveira2 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Chandler2 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 309
Karine Silva2 days ago

Suffers Her First UFC Loss
Viviane Araujo2 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Mauricio Ruffy2 days ago

Extends His Win Streak To Six
Nick Martinez3 days ago

Signs Qualifying Offer With Reds
3 days ago

Luis Severino Likely To Decline Qualifying Offer From Mets
James Llontop3 days ago

Loses Clear-Cut Decision In Thrilling Fight At UFC 309
Paul Craig3 days ago

Loses Decision At UFC 309
Bo Nickal3 days ago

Remains Undefeated With Lackluster Performance At UFC 309
Stipe Miocic3 days ago

Retires After UFC 309 Loss
Jon Jones3 days ago

Gets TKO Win At UFC 309 To Defend Heavyweight Title
Grayson Rodriguez5 days ago

Orioles Optimistic Grayson Rodriguez Will Have A Full Spring Training
5 days ago

Red Sox Have Productive Meeting With Juan Soto
Michael Chandler5 days ago

Set For A Rematch At UFC 309
Charles Oliveira5 days ago

A Favorite At UFC 309
Viviane Araujo5 days ago

An Underdog At UFC 309
Karine Silva5 days ago

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
Mauricio Ruffy5 days ago

Looks For His Second UFC Win
Jett Williams6 days ago

Suffers Sprained Ankle In AFL
James Llontop6 days ago

A Big Underdog At UFC 309
Paul Craig6 days ago

Looks To Snap Losing Skid At UFC 309
Bo Nickal6 days ago

Puts Undefeated Record On The Line At UFC 309
Stipe Miocic6 days ago

Ends Layoff At UFC 309
Jon Jones6 days ago

Defends Heavyweight Title At UFC 309
Tampa Bay Rays6 days ago

Rays To Play Home Games In 2025 At Steinbrenner Field

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Bo Nix - Fantasy Football Rankings, QB, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

Week 12 Fantasy Football Projections Quarterbacks: Justin Herbert, Bo Nix, Russell Wilson, Jared Goff, C.J. Stroud, Sam Darnold, Jordan Love, Jayden Daniels

It's make-or-break time for many fantasy managers, so it's time to lock in and set optimal lineups. Our Week 12 fantasy football quarterback projections for the 2024 NFL season are here to assist. Check the projections below to see how key Week 12 QBs such as Justin Herbert, Bo Nix, Patrick Mahomes, Jordan Love, Jared […]


Video: Week 12 Must-Start Defense (D/ST) Streamers - 2024 Fantasy Football Start/Sit Analysis

We're back and dropping fire content for Week 12! Check out our top 2024 fantasy football must-start Defenses (D/ST) and be prepared to dominate your matchups! LaQuan Jones discusses his top "Must Start" Defense (D/ST) streamers that have the potential to be game-changers in Week 12, as well as some defenses that you might want […]


D'Andre Swift - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injuries

Fantasy Football Trade Targets - Buy/Sell For Week 12 Including Josh Downs, T.J. Hockenson, Bucky Irving, D'Andre Swift

For many fantasy football gamers, the end of Week 11 marked the last opportunity to make trades ahead of the fantasy playoffs. However, there are plenty of leagues that have a later deadline and some that have no deadline at all. This is especially true of dynasty leagues, and while this week's column will still […]


Justin Herbert - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Matchups We Love - Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Week 12 Include Bo Nix, De'Von Achane, Quentin Johnston, Calvin Ridley, more

It seems as though fantasy managers were either incredibly disappointed or incredibly excited in Week 11. The output was modest for most players. However, if you had a monopoly on a select few players such as Cooper Kupp, Taysom Hill, or the Detroit Lions, you likely won your week. With the fantasy playoffs roughly three weeks […]


Christian McCaffrey - Fantasy Football Rankings, DFS and Betting Picks, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Matchups to Target, Avoid (Week 12) - Offensive Line Champs and Chumps

11 weeks have come and gone in the NFL season, which means the fantasy playoffs are just around the corner. Whether you are at the top of the standings or fighting for a playoff spot, Week 12 will feature a unique challenge. Six teams are on bye in Week 12, forcing fantasy managers to get […]


Darnell Mooney - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Fantasy Football WR Injury Reports: Week 12 Updates For Darnell Mooney, Gabe Davis, Mike Evans, Adam Thielen

The season's (first) biggest bye week has arrived. Six teams (Falcons, Bills, Bengals, Jaguars, Saints, Jets) get a week off. That makes it more important for fantasy football that the wide receivers scheduled to play do so. To keep close tabs on all of the news across the NFL, make sure to favorite or bookmark […]


George Pickens - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL injury News

Steelers vs. Browns TNF Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Jameis Winston, Nick Chubb, David Njoku, Jerry Jeudy, Russell Wilson, Najee Harris, George Pickens

The Week 12 Thursday Night Football game between two bitter AFC North rivals (Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers) is not likely to end up like the Thursday night game from two weeks ago when two different AFC North teams (Bengals and Ravens) battled to a 35-34 shootout. Somewhere deep in the charter of the Pittsburgh […]


Isiah Pacheco - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Rookies

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For NFL RBs: Week 12 Updates for Isiah Pacheco, Tyjae Spears, Jonathon Brooks, Miles Sanders

Below is our fantasy football injuries report for running backs in Week 12, as of November 20. The injury statuses for various NFL running backs are up in the air for Week 12, including Isiah Pacheco, Tyjae Spears, Jonathon Brooks, and Miles Sanders. As the fantasy football season continues, every decision, transaction, and lineup change […]


Taysom Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers - Week 12

Week 11 of the 2024 season is in the books. That means another week of cold, hard data to analyze. We’ll try not to overreact, but instead, use logic and reasoning as the foundation for our decision-making in the weeks ahead. Each week, we’ll take a look back at the previous week to see if […]


Jonnu Smith - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fact or Fiction: Fantasy Football Outlooks for Anthony Richardson, Jerry Jeudy, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Taysom Hill, Jonnu Smith

Week 11 of the NFL is behind us, and it's time to look ahead to next week's action. There were some surprising performances in the 11th week of the season, but were those surprising performances a sign of things to come for players? Every week, I'll examine five NFL players whose numbers from the previous […]


Ladd McConkey - Fantasy Football Rankings, Rookies, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football WR Sleepers: Smash Spots for Week 12 include Courtland Sutton, Josh Downs, Terry McLaurin, Ladd McConkey

Welcome to the first bye-pocalypse of the season. We have the Bengals, Bills, Falcons, Jaguars, Jets, and Saints all on bye. Do not panic; there are always great WRs to start! Last week, none of our selections found the end zone. However, they put up decent yardage. Highlighted by CeeDee Lamb going eight receptions for […]


Jaxon Smith-Njigba Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

High-Value Touches and Opportunities - Fantasy Football Underperformers, Overperformers (Week 12)

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to my weekly series, "High-Value Touches and Opportunities" for Week 12 of the 2024 fantasy football season. We're nearly a month before the fantasy football playoffs begin, depending on if leagues go through Week 17 or 18. It's crunch time, and we'll want to pay attention to the news, noise, and trends, […]


TJ Watt - IDP, Pittsburgh Steelers, DST, Defense, Fantasy Football Def

Week 12 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football (2024) - Defense Positional Rankings for LB, DL, DB

Week 12 is an appropriate time for fantasy and NFL general managers to take stock. Is their team a real contender, a pretender, or are you comfortably in the basement? Those in the basement of dynasties may be looking to tank for better picks, while those in redraft leagues may still want to win enough […]