We are in a bit of a sports lull with no football or baseball and the NBA going to the All-Star break. We have a few weeks until March Madness starts to be the focus, but there are still marquee games every night leading up to the tournament. Looking at tonight’s slate, we have a lot to break down from both a CBB DFS and betting perspective.
This article is going to cover a lot of different aspects of the upcoming slate of games. It will highlight a few CBB DFS plays that stands out and a few of the potential games I like for the upcoming night of CBB betting action.
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Biggest game on the slate
Colorado at Oregon -4.5 , O/U 139
The Pac-12 takes center stage tonight with two ranked teams facing off as Colorado travels to Oregon. These two teams met already this season in early January, but that game was in Colorado where the Buffaloes were able to hold serve and win 74-65. Despite that impressive showing, they will need to take it to another level if they want to complete a season sweep of Oregon on the road.
Oregon lost twice during the Atlantis Tournament to Gonzaga and North Carolina, two squads with talent (even if North Carolina has fallen apart since then). Oregon has played opponents from all over the map and is one of the more battle-tested teams in the country. Guard Payton Pritchard is a National Player of the year candidate and comes into the game with a healthy 19.5 points, 6.0 Assists and 4.3 boards per game. Colorado will be looking to contain Pritchard, as he is the centerpiece of the offense. Oregon is led by effective shooting; they are top-25 in both 3-point percentage and effective field goal percentage. They are a deep team that has not lost at home and will be angry having lost two straight coming into this game.
This is another big opportunity for Colorado as they still haven’t received much recognition this year despite a quality resume. They come into the game at 19-5 (8-3 in conference) on the season and have wins against Oregon as well as a top-ranked Dayton squad. Completing a season sweep of Oregon would be huge and could elevate their seed come tournament time.
Colorado has won three straight and are a balanced team in terms of key contributors. Guards Tyler Bey, D’Shawn Schwartz and McKinley Wright all average just north of 10 points per game so they have multiple options in the backcourt. They rely on a balanced offense and a defense with a 25th-ranked defensive efficiency, per KenPom. The key for Colorado will be 3-point shooting, as they’ve thrived from behind the arc (27th in country in 3-point percentage) and will need to continue that to have a chance in Eugene tonight.
CBB DFS Target
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana – $7,400 DraftKings
On the CBB DFS side, there are plenty of options with a nine-game slate to breakdown. Most of the games are from the Pac-12 as their conference is loaded up on this Thursday, but we still have a few other key matchups from across the country. The lone Big Ten game on the slate is Iowa at Indiana and it is appealing from a DFS perspective with a lofty 149 total.
Jackson-Davis is a freshman forward who is the leader for Indiana and must be good tonight if they are going to grab a win. He comes in averaging 13 points and eight boards on the season, but he can contribute across the board, as he averages two blocks per game. The steals/blocks upside is something we always want to take notice of for DFS purposes, as it is one of the ways to get those slate-breaking players.
Iowa is a fantastic offensive team and one that struggles on the defensive side of the floor. Per KenPom, they are third in offensive efficiency in the country but 109th defensively. This could present a situation where Indiana is forced to keep pace and it could be an up-tempo game for the Hoosiers. That is exactly the type of environment where Jackson-Davis should excel and I am expecting a big effort from him tonight. Indiana is at home and a slight favorite against the ranked opponent, so Vegas also believes they should compete for a win. At $7,400 look to Jackson-Davis in the pace-up spot on a slate that doesn’t have a lot of guys who jump off the page.
Make sure to hop in our premium Sports Betting Slack channel where we will be talking about all the upcoming games and the individual matchups throughout the week.
CBB Game Against the Spread
Murray State at Austin Peay -3
This is a big game out of the Ohio Valley tonight as Murray State goes on the road to take on Austin Peay. Murray State is more of a household name thanks to Ja Morant and they once again are the class of this conference, looking toward another tournament bid. The Racers sit at 18-6 on the season and have won 12 of the their last 13 to sit atop the conference standings. They do not have a glaring weakness and will test Austin Peay despite being on the road.
Austin Peay, on the other hand, while relatively unknown, is 10-2 in conference play despite being just 16-9 overall. They rely on Terry Taylor in the frontcourt, and he could be a household name if the Governors somehow make the tournament. He comes into this game averaging 22 points and 10 boards on the season and should compete for Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year.
As a whole, Austin Peay is not nearly as balanced as Murray State and will try to outgun their opponents. They come into this game with a 56th-ranked offense and just 283rd in defensive efficiency. That will be the key here as they will need key stops down the stretch in order to hold serve in this crucial home game. Austin Peay comes in having lost two straight against quality opponents in Tennessee State and Belmont, but a third straight loss would be a major blow. With Taylor being the best player on the floor and Peay on their home court, I think they will respond and hand Murray State just their second conference loss on the season
My Pick: Austin Peay -3
Make sure to check out our AwesemoOdds show that breaks down the upcoming CBB DFS slates and talks about any big events coming up from a betting perspective.
If you have any questions, find me @JazzrazDFS on twitter.
