First and foremost @CBB_DFS was to say thank you to all of our veterans, past and present, for their service! #VeteransDay
This week features the Gavitt Games, which should dominate our DFS slates. The Gavitt Games have been going on since 2015 and features 8 match-ups between Big Ten and Big East Schools. Last year the B1G went 5-3. The previous 3 seasons the two conferences split 4-4. Here is a quick look at the docket:
- Monday
- DePaul @ Iowa
- Tuesday
- Creighton @ Michigan
- Minnesoate @ Butler
- Wednesday
- Vilanova @ Ohio State
- Purdue @ Marquette
- Providence @ Northwestern
- Thursday
- Michigan State @ Seton Hall
- Penn State @ Georgetown
Obviously we’ll get some ACC, AAC, P12, B12, and SEC action in addition to the Gavitt Games. Tonight’s slate features two SEC teams and the second appearance by the St. Mary’s Gaels on a main slate.
As the SEC guy, I wanted to write-up Alabama tonight but DK gives me Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. These are two schools in rebuild mode that are projected to finish near the bottom of the SEC.
Never-the-less it’s nice to be back. Hope everyone had a great weekend and is ready to win all the money this week. With out further ado let’s get this week started! #CBBDFS #LFG
DePaul @ Iowa
The annual Gavitt Games, which pairs a B1G opponent with a Big East team, kick off tonight with Iowa hosting DePaul. The Blue Demons are off to a hot start powered by their guard play, while the Hawkeyes are trying to find an identity after battling through roster turnover and injuries. Vegas likes the home team, but I could see DePaul keeping it close.
The Hawkeyes’ offense this year will go through Luka Garza F $8900. The big man commanded a 34% usage and 35% shot% against SIU-E, which gave him 20 points and 12 boards. I don’t expect that much usage tonight, but minutes will likely increase, so a double-double is in reach. The price is on the high side, but options are limited on the 4 game slate.
Wieskamp G $7800 had 16 in the opener before taking a nasty tumble. He is scoring dependent and DePaul holding teams to 21% from 3 thus far, so risky GPP play only. Bohannan G $5500 is playing and was somewhat productive in the last one, but his minutes are a huge question mark as he recovers from a hip injury. CJ Fredrick G $4000 is the starting PG, he should get 25 minutes or more. 6’10 Kriener (F, 4500) and 6’11” Jack Nunge (F, 3600) should split time at the 4 and as Garza’s backup. Kriener should be the safer option.
The Blue Demons have a dynamic backcourt this year, helmed by Charlie Moore (G, 8000). He’s a volume shooter and coming off a 27 point game on 16 attempts. The pace in this one should favor him. Neither Jacobs (G, 4000) nor Gage (G, 4000) are getting many minutes so far but Jacobs has a 34.5% shot%, so if he’s in, good chance it’s going up. Former top-50 recruit Jalen Coleman-Lands (G, 3600) starts at the 2 and is a capable shooter, attractive GPP play at that price.
Reed (F, 8100) is overpriced but should get 30+ minutes in this one and great matchup. Also like Weems (F, 5600) and Butz (F, 6400), the latter has gone 4x in the last 3.
Texas A&M C.C. @ Vanderbilt
Jerry Stackhouse and Vanderbilt take on the Islanders of Texas A&M Corpus Christie tonight at 7:00 CST. The Commodores are a -14.5 point favorite and the over-under is currently at 134. Vanderbilt is 1-0 to start the Jerry Stackhouse Era after a 83-65 win over Southeast Missouri State.
Under Stack the prevailing thought was that this team was going to run their offense through sophomore Aaron Nesmith (G, 8800). That certainly was the case game one when the 6’6 wing had a team leading 25 points. Despite being the offensive focus and delivering in that role, I am still not ready to commit 9k to him.
I am probably not paying for Saban Lee (G, 7900) either. Lee served as 6th man in the teams opener and his shot rate was an unsustainable 38%. Scottie Pippen Jr. (G, 5700) is the point guard starting ahead of Lee. The freshman is indeed the son of the former Bulls great.
Clevon Brown (F, 6700) had 15-8 in the opener and played the second most minutes on the team behind Nesmith so expect him to crack a few lineups. The other bigs Matthew Moyer (4900) and Dylan Disu (4200) should each get a meh 20 minutes.
Texas A&M Corpus Christie is led by Senior Jashawn Talton-Thomas, the most electric JTT since the Home Improvement went off the air.
The basketball JTT had 14 points and 7 boards in the opener and led the team in minutes. Someone has to do something for this team, so by default he has a high floor.
I’d probably go with Elijah Schmidt (F, 4700) if I am playing an Islander. He will lead the team in minutes down low. If you want a min-priced punt Jalen White (G/F, 3100) and Peyton Smith (G, 3200) should see close to 20 minutes.
Overall I am probably off this game altogether. I think Vanderbilt wins clean, but Stack is still tinkering with rotations and touches. I never though Texas A&M Corpus Christie would make a DK slate, and here we are. Apologies to the Islander faithful.
Louisiana-Monroe @ Texas A&M
Buzz Williams and Texas A&M are a -16 point favorite and the over-under is down to 136 for tonight’s match-up versus Louisiana-Monroe (opened at 140.5). ULM plays a slower paced game and the Aggies are dealing with some injuries, so I like the under quite a bit but wish I’d have got it last night.
Despite that, Savion Flagg (G/F, 9100) is a stud. He is the slate’s price king and rightfully so. Even with blowout and tempo concerns I am okay with paying for Flagg tonight. In the opener he had 46.75 DK points with a stat stuffing 22-7-5-2-3 line. #statstuffer
After Savion, A&M features a ton of guys between 4.6-5.9k most of whom I am avoiding. I do like Wendell Mitchell (G, 4800). He was quiet in the opener but is a guy who went for 18+ real points 12 times last year.
T.J. Starks (G, 5200) and Josh Nebo (F, 5200), two major contributors from a year ago, both missed the opener for with injuries. While there is a chance they could play in this one, I am fading as Gonzaga comes into College Station on Friday and the goal is to have each at 100% by then.
Flipping to the Warhawks, two of their three highest priced players are a no-go out for me. JD Williams (G, 8600) is too rich for my taste and D’Andre Bernard (F, 5400) doesn’t even start. I don’t mind Michael Ertel (G, 7600) as his usage and shot rate are 29% and 31% over the first two games.
Down low Tyree White (F, 4200) has shown promise and played 29 min last game. Youry White (F, 4500 and no relation) has been the team’s best rebounder, while Chris Efretuei (F, 4000) is a legit 7-footer that starts, but hasn’t done anything of note.
Winthrop @ #20 St. Mary’s
The final game on the slate features 18 point home favorite St. Mary’s, who is hosting a Winthrop team that just played Sunday night. Nothing like losing on a buzzer beater and then travelling 175 miles overnight to get ready to play on the road against the #18 team in the nation. Thumbs down to the Winthrop scheduling team
The Eagles best returning player is 6’8 stretch 5 Josh Ferguson (F, 8200). He’s taken 15 3s this year and is a solid rebounder, but his price makes him hard to consider. Hale is overpriced, Arms is sitting out this year, and Zunic is playing less than 50% of the minutes, so mark them off as well. Jones (G, 5100) is a diminutive freshmen PG with a little bit of zuzu, so he’s a GPP flyer if you want to get weird. Anumba (F, 4000) is experienced and gets 25ish minutes a game if you need a desperation punt.
My favorite play for the Eagles is D2 transfer Chandler Vaudrin (G, 3000), who Three Man Weave noted led all collegiate levels in triple doubles last year. He’s a 6’7 point forward and played a team high 32 minutes vs. Fresno State, ending with 10 points, 4 boards, and 5 assists. Even against a very strong Gaels D, he seems worth a shot given his ability to do it all and min price tag.
Despite blowout potential, this appears to be a good spot for a few Gaels. First of all, shout out to Randy Bennett for playing his starters the bulk of the minutes. Our Bucketheads applaud you. Potential All-American Jordan Ford (G, 8200) is a good example, as he played all 45 minutes vs. Wisconsin in their OT thriller after playing 91% of their minutes last season. He took 24 shots vs. Wisconsin, had a 29% shot rate last year and shot 41% from behind the arc last season. He has a high floor with smash the slate ceiling, making him a fantastic option.
Another great option is Malik Fitts (F, 6100). He’s the 2nd scoring option, top 100 rebounder by the percentages last year, and has a 25% shot percentage while on the floor. At this price, he stands out as a great value against an undersized Eagles team. Krebs (G, 5300) is a bet on minutes play, as he doesn’t have much usage. 6’10 big man Matthias Tass (F, 5500) should have no problem on the glass against an undersized Eagles front line. He had 10 boards vs. Wisconsin, but has never scored double digits in his 35 game career.
Kuhse (G, 5400) started 27 games last year, but didn’t play a single minute in their opener. I haven’t found anything online for why he didn’t play, but I’ll keep searching. Maybe Cincy transfer Logan Johnson is just better? Johnson (G, 3600) played 36 minutes in the opener and while he didn’t much statistically, he did take 7 shots and his price point certainly makes him viable. Best of luck tonight Bucketheads!! LFG!!