The college basketball slate for Tuesday, Feb. 8 features the No. 1-ranked team in the nation taking the court in Auburn vs. Arkansas and a heavyweight Big Ten Conference clash with No. 13 Illinois vs. No. 4 Purdue. If you are looking to take your game to the next level, be sure to check out our daily CBB projections over at the Awesemo College Basketball page.
CBB DFS Picks: DraftKings & FanDuel Fantasy Basketball
Studs
Armando Bacot ($8,500) — One of the tougher slates in recent memory, the February 8th slate of games features an abundance of studs and few value plays. At the top of pricing, jamming players like Oscar Tshiebwe, Walker Kessler and Kofi Cockburn looks quite difficult on this slate. For those looking at a discount Tshiebwe, North Carolina’s Armando Bacot provides just that. North Carolina currently sits as a 1-point underdog against Clemson in a game with a 146.5-point total overall. With Dawson Garcia away from the team Bacot has played an enormous role for this team. Over North Carolina’s last three games, he accounts for an 18.2% shot rate and 40% rebound rate. Clemson already ranks 144th in rebounding defense, but they will also play this game without forward Hunter Tyson.
Trayce Jackson-Davis ($8,100) — Indiana draws Northwestern as a 1.5-point favorite in a game with a 136-point total. While the game environment leaves plenty to be desired, Trayce Jackson-Davis involvement still warrants consideration among the studs. Without foul trouble, Jackson-Davis regularly plays 33-35 minutes for the Hoosiers with his 18.1% usage rate. On the year, Jackson-Davis has a 20.7% shot rate, 22.3% rebound rate and 11.9% assist rate, giving him similar upside to the other studs as a cheaper price. Jackson-Davis has also gotten more involved in the periphery of late with his assist rate rising to 18.6% over Indiana’s last three games. While Cockburn and Tshiebwe are better in terms of raw projection, the salary relief Jackson-Davis provides cannot be overlooked.
J.D. Notae ($8,000) — Perhaps the best game environment on the slate, Arkansas is a 2-point underdog to Auburn in a game with a 151.5-point total. Both teams play extremely fast here with efficient offenses. Auburn runs an extended rotation, making them slightly worse plays in a vacuum. If Arkansas plays to the spread here, J.D. Notae is going to have to have something to do with it. Notae has played 38 and 32 minutes in back-to-back games, maximizing his 22.1% usage rate. Over the last three, Notae has been involved in a variety of ways, including a 20.8% shot rate, 13.4% rebound rate and 26.1% assist rate. While Auburn plays solid defense, the overall pace helps Notae here too. Ultimately, all of the studs on both sides of the ball are strong plays here.
Notae’s projection in the fantasy-friendly game environment was jolting him to the top of the Awesemo college basketball lineup optimizer today. He is projecting as one of the top CBB DFS picks on today’s slate. Check out all of our free College Basketball DFS picks in the DraftKings CBB Cheat Sheet and FanDuel CBB Cheat Sheet today.
Mid-Range
Brady Manek ($6,700) — For those looking at more affordable pieces in the North Carolina offense, Brady Manek has also played an increased role without Garcia in the lineup. Over North Carolina’s last three games, Manek has played 35, 41 and 27 minutes for the Tar Heels. In that span, he accounts for a 21.9% shot rate and 14% rebound rate. Playing in the front court, Manek exploits the same weaknesses as Bacot against Clemson. Ultimately, Caleb Love, R.J. Davis and Manek are all solid options behind North Carolina’s 72.75-point implied team total in this spot.
Jermaine Samuels ($6,400) — A middling game environment overall, Villanova is a 3.5-point favorite over St. John’s in a game with a 143-point total. Villanova would normally be a larger favorite, but Collin Gillespie and Justin Moore are both questionable for this game. One potential beneficiary is Jermaine Samuels, who played 36, minutes without Moore last games. In Villanova’s last three games, Samuels has accounted for 14% of the shots, 18% of the rebounds and 18% of the assists, making him a consistent player across statistical categories. St. John’s will still try to pace up Villanova, creating a solid environment for Samuels, Eric Dixon and the other mid-priced Villanova assets.
Tyrese Martin ($6,300) — UConn enters this slate as a 6-point favorite over Marquette in a game with a 139.5-point implied team total. Both teams play well above average here and UConn’s 72.75-point implied team total makes them solid-enough targets against Marquette’s 32nd ranked defense. For this UConn team, Tyrese Martin stands out as the top price-adjusted play after playing 38, 35 and 24 minutes in UConn’s last three games. Martin missed some time due to injury this year, making his playing time a little more consistent than some of the numbers would otherwise indicate. Posting a 15.2% usage rate this year, Martin has also contributed a consistent 15.7% shot rate, 12.2% rebound rate and 20% assist rate across UConn’s last three games.
Value Plays
Devin Carter ($4,600) — An extremely weak value slate, jamming multiple studs will require lineups to reach a little bit. One potential option is South Carolina’s Devin Carter. South Carolina runs a nasty rotation, but Carter starters and has played 26 minutes in back-to-back games. The Gamecocks are 10.5-point underdogs to Kentucky in a difficult matchup, but Carter has accounted for 14.9% of the shots, 10.1% of the rebounds and 7.9% of the assists over South Carolina’s last three games. While viable, he is the worst of the three value plays here.
Naz Bohannon ($4,400) — On the other side of the North Carolina game, Clemson is a 1-point favorite in a game with a 146.5-point total despite losing Tyson. With Tyson playing just nine minutes combined in Clemson’s last two games Naz Bohannon played 30 minutes in back-to-back contests. Bohannon has a miniscule 10.3% usage rate this year, requiring elevated minutes to reach a ceiling. Over Clemson’s last three, he accounts for an 8.8% shot rate, 13.3% rebound rate and 10% assist rate. Without many strong value plays, Bohannon rises to the top out of necessity.
Chris Arcidiacono ($3,600) — Entirely dependent on injuries to Moore and Gillespie, Chris Arcidiacono could blow the slate wide open at this price. Arcidiacono played 26 minutes in Villanova’s most recent game with Gillespie also playing 27. Now potentially removing Gillespie from the equation and Arcidiacono has upside to play 30+ here. Arcidiacono barely plays in normal circumstances, so his rates remain a mystery. However, on a poor value slate, taking a stab on the raw minutes could be enough here.
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