College Football is basically over 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 basketball season we have a full slate 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 which includes big time teams like Oregon, Arizona 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.
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Biggest game on the slate
Arizona at Oregon -3.5 , O/U 143
This is a big game in the PAC-12 as the Ducks face another top challenger but this time, they are back in Eugene. Oregon started PAC-12 play last Thursday on the road in Boulder where Colorado handled them. They then won in Utah and now face Arizona, who is sitting at 11-3 on the season. Oregon is a slight favorite but Vegas expects this to stay close. It’s hard to disagree, as Arizona has a talented team, especially on offense. Both teams have massive talent in the backcourt but 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 which are talented teams. Oregon went on the road and grabbed a huge win at Michigan a few weeks later so they won’t be fazed by this situation. Guard Payton Pritchard is a senior with legit National Player of the Year buzz and comes into the game with 18.7 points, 5.9 assist and 4.5 boards per game. Arizona will do their best to contain Pritchard but they will be rolling with freshman to get the job done. Overall, Oregon is led by effective shooting as they are top-five in three-point and effective field goal percentage. They have a handful of deadly three-point shooters and that will test Arizona.
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Arizona seemingly just reloads and despite a lot of smoke, they still haven’t seen anything major in terms of the NCAA coming down hard on coach Sean Miller. The Wildcats are led by a pair of Freshman in forward Zeke Nnaji and guard Nico Mannion so it is going to be a work in progress. However, what they lack in experience they make up for in raw talent, as this is a top-15 offensive unit in the country. They do a great job of limiting turnovers while shooting a fantastic percentage. That’s going to test the Ducks defense and if Arizona can handle the environment, there is no reason they can’t emerge with a conference-changing road win.
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DFS Targets
Erik Stevenson – Wichita State – $7,500 DraftKings
This slate is loaded with big games but don’t forget about this matchup between Memphis and Wichita State. Wichita is 13-1 while Memphis just has two losses despite never really having James Wiseman. This game has a healthy over/under at 140 and Wichita State currently is a 4.5-point favorite.
If the Shockers are going to get this big win at home, then Erik Stevenson has to be involved. The guard is having a great season so far and comes into the game with a stat line around 14-5-2. Memphis has a ton of length and is a solid defense squad but they play at a top-10 pace and that should get this game moving out in transition. That helps Wichita State and Stevenson, who is three-point shooter and coming off a game where he made five on 11 attempts. In his last two games he has played 34 and 36 minutes and I would expect a similar volume. He should once again be taking a ton of outside shots and in a game with a frenetic pace, I like him at home for CBB DFS.
D.J. Jeffries– Memphis – $5,700 DraftKings
I am sticking with this game, but going to the other side with D.J. Jeffries, who is another talented freshman frontcourt player for the Tigers. He missed last game with an illness so make sure he is good to go, but all signs point to him returning tonight. The talent is undeniable and he is starting to put it together with a 14-8-7-3 line in the last game against Tulane. Those assist numbers are an outlier but Jeffries is a massive talent who has been pushing the minutes into the high 20s, low 30s range. That’s more than enough opportunity at this price tag and outside of the massive blowout against New Orleans, he has been given plenty of opportunity to be a focal point. Again, with the pace Memphis plays at, this is a game to target. Jeffries gives you some great CBB DFS exposure without breaking the bank.
CBB Games Against the Spread
Arizona at Oregon -3.5
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 extremely talented but the experience gap between Pritchard and Oregon and Arizona and their freshman is immense. Arizona has only played one road game on the entire season (a loss at Baylor) and coming into this environment isn’t going to do them any favors. They are going to have to find a way to slow down Oregon’s outside shooting but the Ducks opening PAC-12 play here should be firing on all cylinders. They will hand Arizona their first conference loss. The spread sits at 3.5 which I don’t mind laying, but I also feel comfortable just taking the money line at -175-ish and just banking Oregon takes care of business.
My Pick: Oregon -3.5
Austin Peay -7 at Tennessee Tech
I doubt this one will make the TV schedule tonight as Austin Peay and Tennessee Tech continue their Ohio Valley Conference play. Austin Peay has played a lot of quality teams, all on the road, and although they did not grab any of those wins, we saw some talent come through. Terry Taylor is one of the better players you’ve never heard of and averages a healthy 23 points per game to lead Austin Peay. They opened conference play with two 20-point victories over teams better than Tennessee Tech and I don’t know how Taylor doesn’t dominate this game. Tennessee Tech is 3-12 and lost six straight, with two of those wins coming against non-Division I teams. I don’t love laying a handful of points on the road but Austin Peay is undervalued due to the brutal out-of-conference schedule. They should roll an inferior Tennessee Tech team.
My Pick: Austin Peay -7
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