The college basketball slate for Friday, March 25, opens up the Sweet 16 of the 2022 NCAA Tournament and provides some great CBB DFS picks. This article will go over the top CBB picks for DraftKings and FanDuel fantasy college basketball lineups as well as the best plays from each price range. Don’t forget to visit the CBB DFS projections and Awesemo College Basketball pages.
March Madness Sweet 16 CBB DFS Picks Today
Stud CBB Picks Today
Armando Bacot ($9,400) — Bringing the fourth-highest implied team total on the slate, North Carolina sits as a 2-point underdog to UCLA in a game with a 141.5-point total. This gives the Tar Heels a serviceable 69.75-point implied team total, which ranks fourth on this slate. As a team, North Carolina plays one of the tightest rotations in basketball with an up-tempo pace. Leading the Tar Heels, Armando Bacot continues to provide double-doubles at will. While expensive, Bacot has now played 39, 28 and 36 minutes in three straight games. The 28-minute game came in a dismantling of Marquette, where he sat the final 10 minutes. On the year, Bacot has an absurd 17.7% shot rate, 31% rebound rate and 10% assist rate. UCLA ranks 76th in rebounding and 119th in effective height, providing Bacot an excellent matchup as well. The only potential problem is an exorbitant price tag on a tight slate. For those who cannot afford Bacot, Caleb Love, R.J. Davis and Brady Manek are solid consolation prizes. Multiple Tar Heels can be played together as well.
Jaden Ivey ($8,200) — Drawing a dream matchup in the Sweet 16, Purdue will face Cinderella Saint Peter’s as a 13-point favorite. Bringing the second-highest implied team total on the slate, Purdue provides a strong stud play in Jaden Ivey. Ivey has played 38, 28 and 34 minutes in Purdue’s last three games, with his 28 minutes coming against a hapless Yale team. On the year, Ivey has a 20.8% usage rate, a 24.8% shot rate, 8.1% rebound rate and 26.3% assist rate over Purdue’s last three games. While Zach Edey and Trevion Williams exploit this matchup through their size, both play limited minutes regardless of game environment. With Ivey playing the most consistent role on the team, Ivey makes the most sense here as a stud to target.
Kameron McGusty ($7,600) — Similar to North Carolina, Miami plays a tight distribution of minutes. While the game looks less enticing with a 133 overall total, Miami is the 3-point favorite. Among the elite guards, Kameron McGusty still stands out as the top play, despite his team-leading salary. McGusty has played 38, 37 and 38 minutes in Miami’s last three games, contributing a 29.3% shot rate, 22.1% rebound rate and 14.3% assist rate. Iowa State plays solid defense, but Miami’s reluctance to rotate bench players into the game makes the entire starting five viable. Among the cheaper options, Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller look like the next best options.
Izaiah Brockington ($7,400) — On the Iowa State side, Izaiah Brockington can be used as a GPP pivot off some other studs. Iowa State’s 65-point team total ranks second lowest on the slate. However, Brockington has played 31, 38 and 33 minutes in Iowa State’s last three games. Somewhat shot dependent, Brockington has a 25.7% shot rate, 21.3% rebound rate and 10.9% assist rate this season. For what it is worth, Tyrese Hunter has played more consistent basketball in the tournament and enters this slate with a cheaper price tag. However, both should be considered GPP plays for tonight.
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Mid-Range CBB Picks Today
Caleb Love ($6,800) — As mentioned above, Love provides a cheaper attachment to a solid North Carolina offense. Over the last three games, Love has played 32, 34 and 38 minutes for the Tar Heels, maximizing his team-leading 19.1% usage rate. Love’s rates have actually declined recently. In the last three games, he accounts for a 19.9% shot rate, 9% rebound rate and a 10.8% assist rate. Davis has the solid game against Baylor in the second round, but Love has the stronger usage on the season. With Love now coming in cheaper than Davis, buying low on the superior season-long usage makes sense here.
Noah Horchler ($6,800) — Providence enters this slate as a 7.5-point underdog to Kansas in a game with a 141.5-point total. On top of their projected point deficit, Providence plays an eight-man rotation. The most consistent piece of this group is Noah Horchler, who played 32, 33 and 30 minutes in Providence’s last three games. Horchler primarily lives through his 22.6% rebound rate. While his 13.4% shot rate leaves much to be desired, Horchler still has the best shot at a double-double on the team. For those feeling risky, Al Durham could also pop up for a big game. Durham continues to battle a sports hernia, limiting him to 24, 29 and 32 minutes in Providence’s last three games. In a potentially close game here, Durham could return to the 35+ minutes he played per game prior to the injury.
Horchler and Johnny Juzang were two of the players showing up highly in the CBB DFS lineup optimizer and look like solid CBB picks today. Check out all of our free CBB DFS picks today when building your fantasy lineups by viewing our DraftKings CBB Cheat Sheet and FanDuel CBB Cheat Sheet.
Johnny Juzang ($6,300) — On the other side of the North Carolina game, UCLA has the third-highest implied team total as a 2-point favorite. The Bruins’ best matchup comes from the perimeter, where North Carolina ranks 209th in 3-point defense. This bodes well for an underpriced Juzang, who looks fully recovered from his late-season hip accident. Juzang has now played 38, 29 and 39 minutes in UCLA’s last three games, maximizing his team-leading 19.5% usage rate. On top of being the team’s best shooter, Juzang has contributed a 21.9% shot rate, 20% rebound rate and 16.2% assist rate in UCLA’s last three games. Doing it all for this team, Juzang offers the top salary-adjusted projection on the slate.
Remy Martin ($5,900) — While Kansas has a solid 74.5-point implied team total, Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun look slightly overpriced in comparison to the other studs on the slate. Both still make elite GPP plays, but paying down for Remy Martin could be the optimal move in low-risk contests. Martin continues to ramp back up after a multi-game absence in the latter half of the regular season. Martin played 29 minutes in Kansas’ most recent game and should continue to ascend above 30 minutes in more competitive games. The rates are not great for Martin this year, but they have also been depressed by injury. A full-go Martin looks very attractive behind Kansas’ elite team total.
CBB Value Picks Today
Gabe Kalscheur ($4,800) — One of the worst value slates in recent memory, Iowa State’s Gabe Kalscheur highlights the group. Primarily a shooter, Kalscheur enters this slate fresh off a dismantling of Wisconsin. However, Kalscheur has a 17.2% shot rate, 7.2% rebound rate and 12.1% assist rate this season, and he is volatile due to his shot dependence. With that said, Kalscheur has played 34, 30 and 37 minutes in Iowa State’s last three games. This minute consistency makes him less volatile than the other value plays on this particular slate.
Cody Riley ($4,500) — Perhaps the thinnest value play, UCLA’s Cody Riley could benefit from the Jaime Jaquez injury. Most expect Jaquez to play in this game, but even slight limitations could coax Riley into elevated minutes. Riley has now played 15, 23 and 28 minutes in UCLA’s last three games. While his shot rate lags at 7.1% in this span, Riley accounted for 17.5% of the team’s rebounds. With Bacot clogging the interior, UCLA may resort to giving Riley more minutes regardless of Jaquez’s status. While volatile, Riley offers a bit of salary saving for a team with a solid implied team total.
Hassan Drame ($4,300) — Implied for just 60.5 points on this slate, Saint Peter’s is a 13-point underdog to Purdue in a game with a 134-point total. While Purdue presents a matchup nightmare for Saint Peter’s stylistically, the Peacocks have a number of value plays. Hassan Drame looks like a particularly strong value after playing 24, 34 and 25 minutes in each of Saint Peter’s last three games. In that span, he has a 9.6% shot rate, 22.7% rebound rate and 12.2% assist rate. Now, rebounding against Purdue’s size will be an issue here. A few other cheap options for Saint Peter’s include Doug Edert, Fousseyni Drame and Matthew Lee. Edert and Lee avoid the interior of Purdue’s defense more than either Drame.
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