College Football is ending and the calendar has turned to 2020, which means March Madness is starting to slowly approach. One of the major differences between college football and basketball is that during college basketball season, we have a ton of games basically every day of the week. This makes CBB DFS seemingly always available to play during the week, and we usually get a handful of ranked teams to highlight the slate. This Thursday is no different as we have an eight-game slate to break down, including Oregon and Michigan State.
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 stand out and a few of the potential wagers I like for the upcoming night of games.
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Biggest game on the slate
Oregon -1.5 at Colorado 9PM EST
We have a big game in the PAC-12 here as the Ducks take their 11-2 record on the road to begin conference play in Boulder. They are a slight favorite, but Vegas expects this to stay close and it is hard to disagree as Colorado has a talented team. The Buffaloes are sitting at 11-2 as well and looking to get conference play started with a marquee victory. Both teams have massive talent in the backcourt and Oregon has already faced numerous top-10 teams so they are a little more battle tested.
Oregon lost twice during the Atlantis tournament to Gonzaga and North Carolina, both of whom have talented squads. Oregon did go on the road and grab a huge win at Michigan a few weeks later so they won’t be fazed by the situation of the hostile environment they encounter. Guard Payton Pritchard is a senior with legit National Player of the Year buzz and comes into the game with a healthy 18.5 points, 6.2 assists and 4.0 boards per game. Colorado will be looking to contain Pritchard as he is the centerpiece of the offense. Overall, Oregon rides effective shooting as they are top-five in three-point and effective field goal percentage on the year. They have a handful of deadly three-point shooters and that will test Colorado.
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This is a big opportunity for Colorado as they haven’t gotten a ton of recognition so far this year and didn’t compete against Kansas in their biggest game of the season. They were able to beat Dayton, which may not seem like a big deal, but it certainly qualifiers as one of the best wins so far across the country.
They enter the game having won four straight and are a very balanced team. 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 defense and sport a top-20 defensive efficiency ranking per Kenpom, which will cause the Ducks problems. It is not to say they are a helpless offensive team, but for Colorado to win in this spot, they have to control tempo.
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DFS Targets
Filip Petrusev – Gonzaga – $8000 DK
Gonzaga hits the road tonight for a conference matchup against Portland, who needs a borderline miracle to win this game. Gonzaga has just one loss on the resume and they are a 23-point road favorite, so this one figures to be decided early with the gap in talent. There may be some blowout risk, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore Gonzaga’s talent.
Petrusev leads this team in both points and rebounds with 17 and eight and also has the ability to add blocks and steals. The sophomore forward is shooting 55% from the field and should dominate inside against a Portland team that has no answers. He may only play mid-20s in minutes, but even at this price, he will have enough opportunities to put up a quality CBB DFS showing. Petrusev has had monster outputs even in games where Gonzaga wins by 20 points or more, which is highly possible here.
Both Gach – Utah – $6100 DK
This is another big PAC-12 game where Oregon State takes their 10-2 record on the road to face off against Utah’s 9-3 mark. Both of these teams need games like this on the resume come March, and Utah is a slight favorite. Utah is a top-end offensive unit and Oregon State is a middling defensive squad so we could have an up-and-down situation here. Timmy Allen is certainly the leader of this Utes team, but Gach has led them in the backcourt and comes into the contest averaging around 30 minutes a game. That volume is important and has led to his 11-3-3 averages in the key stats on the season.
In his last three games, Gach has taken a minimum of nine shots and played at least 30 minutes with upside for even more in the right game flow. The middling price tag puts him in play and he will easily return volume if he can shoot effectively.
CBB Games Against the Spread
Oregon at Colorado 9PM EST
I already broke this game down, but looking over the schedule, this is my favorite noteworthy game to target in the betting world. Both teams are very talented and have experience, but Colorado is at home which is worth its weight in gold in college basketball. Their ability to play defense is going to cause problems, even for a team as talented as Oregon. If Oregon is unable to do damage from three, I like Colorado’s chances to start their conference play with a win. The combination of guards for Colorado will do the heavy lifting and I will grab the 1.5 points with the slight home dog in this spot.
My Pick: Colorado +1.5
Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State -1
I don’t think this one makes the TV schedule tonight as Eastern Illinois and Tennessee state open Ohio Valley Conference play. Neither team is that good, but both at the same time are talented enough to be a tough out when the conference tourney comes around. Record-wise, EIU sits at 7-5 while Tennessee State is slightly better with an 8-5 record. Tennessee State relies on quality shooting to get it done, but struggle with turnovers, ranking almost dead last in the entire country in giving the ball away. That has to get cleaned up, but against an Eastern Illinois team that isn’t strong defensively, it should be a good spot for success.
This will be an opportunity for the home team as most of their wins have been against really bad competition, but the same could be said for Eastern Illinois. I will back the home team who I trust more considering their offensive potential and if they can limit those turnovers, this is a spot I feel comfortable backing.
My Pick: Tennessee St -1
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