CBB DFS Pick 3 – Thursday January 10th
College football has officially ended and the NFL is down to 8 teams which means College Basketball is slowly taking center stage. As I always mention make sure to stay tuned for additional announcements as we continue to add articles, videos and additional tools centered around our sports betting content. Make sure to follow our @AwesemoOdds twitter account for all the latest.
This article is going to be focused on the upcoming College Basketball slate and will highlight a few DFS players that stand out, and a few potential wagers against the spread. Feel free to jump in our new Sports betting slack channel for additional information and conversation about the upcoming nights game in CBB and other sports throughout the season.
Biggest game on the slate
Illinois vs Michigan 8 PM EST FS1 – By default this is probably the marquee game, which just shows that there aren’t a ton of top end quality teams on tap for tonight. However, there are still plenty of games to breakdown and although Illinois looks awful, they are better than the 4-11 record would indicate. They were in the game at Indiana and then just lost a heartbreaker at Northwestern, so again they are a scrappy bunch and aren’t just a pushover like you would think.
Michigan on the other hand is just a buzzsaw right now sitting at 15-0 and showing no signs of letting up. They are led by freshman Ignas Brazdeikis, but this is a deep talented team who is extremely well coached making them a tough team to takedown. The one knock if there is one is they haven’t been on the road much at all this year and that is really where upsets can happen. They do travel to Champaign tonight, and the spread indicates that as they are only -9 despite the giant difference in record.
If Illinois has any chance tonight they need to force Michigan into some uncharacteristic turnovers, and they need Trent Frazier to lead them as he is the best they have despite only being a sophomore. This game isn’t going to make my card tonight because Michigan is a very tough team to bet against with the way they are playing, but I do think Illinois will try and give them a fight tonight. I would lean with the home team getting +9, but again its not a game I am looking to get action on even though its one I’m excited to see.
** Make sure to check out our new AwesemoOdds show Friday mornings 11:30 EST that breaks down the upcoming weeks NFL and College Basketball schedules from a betting perspective **
DFS Targets
James Palmer Jr – Nebraska – $8700 DK – This isn’t going to be the last time you read about Nebraska this year or even in this article, as I am higher on them than anyone else and think they are in store for a huge year. My confidence has been shaken with two straight disappointing losses, but both were on the road and Nebraska really struggles away from home. They should be angry and get back to Lincoln tonight, so I expect a big showing and that starts with Palmer. He is their leader, isn’t shy (12+ FG attempts in every game), and when he stays out of foul trouble the minutes will be there for a massive showing. Penn State has nobody who can stop him and he does enough in the peripheral stats to give him a decent floor even when his shot isn’t falling. I wouldn’t be shocked to see 25+ real points for Palmer tonight and if I have the salary he is the guard I want to pay up for on this slate.
Nysier Brooks – Cincinnati – $5500 DK – The Bearcat big man has really taken a step forward these past few games and its highlighted by his 31 minute effort against East Carolina in Cinci’s last game. If he see 25+ minutes consistently this price is a bargain as he is highly productive when on the court. The big issue like many big men is his floor is very low due to foul trouble which we saw against Tulane, where he racked up 4 fouls in 9 minutes of play. He should have plenty of opportunities to dominate the paint against Tulsa tonight, and for less than the average cost of a roster spot he is certainly an option to consider.
Games Against the Spread
Nebraska -10 – Here we go again with Nebraska. I will say this – I’m certainly biased for this team, but I also thought they have really come out with a bottom % outcome in these last two road losses. I was hoping this spread would come in -7 to -8, but I still like it at -10 because this team at home is unstoppable. Closest game this year at home has been 15 points and they weren’t all against cupcakes so clearly you do not want to be a visiting team coming to Lincoln. Penn St just got blown out at home and I think they get blown out again in this spot against a team looking to get right after a bad stretch on the road.
Georgia Southern -8 – Certainly a lesser known team, but one that I think could get hot and snag a tourney birth when we get to March. Georgia Southern likes to play fast and get up and down and now go home after a crazy long stretch on the road where they played some quality teams. Louisiana Monroe isn’t a team I know much about but they aren’t great defensively and that is a problem against a team like GSU. This is a game G Southern should control tempo wise and if they get out of the gate fast it should be relatively smooth sailing so I will lay the 8 points on a team I think is undervalued due to a long stretch away from home.
If you have any questions find me in the sports betting channel on the Awesemo.com premium slack chat or @JazzrazDFS on twitter.
