Five-Gamer for Friday Funday

We’re typically not into bragging here, as we view ourselves as more of an informational asset for College Basketball and DFS fans. Like anything in life, you have ups and downs, so we like to keep an even keel. However…I would like to highlight that we are on a complete heater with content and PrizePicks this week. We made a bold and borderline reckless PrizePicks recommendation yesterday, taking the under on 3 of the best bigs in the entire country. This is especially nuts since PP weighs defensive stats so heavily. That brought us to 11-1 on the week, a couple late turnovers from being clean. More importantly, the DFS content has been absolute fire. We’ve had Bucketheads either win or come close to winning several tourneys this week as well. We feel fully locked in and will try to stay in the zone all the way through March.

We’ve got a nice little five game slate tonight that’s naturally heavy on mid-majors along with your mandatory B1G game. The DK feature is a $12 $6k tourney with $2k going to 1st. Congrats to all our winners this week! Make sure to tune into our Saturday podcast/video! Let’s stay hot Bucketheads!!

Penn State -1, (140) – 6:00

Purdue @ Penn State

Trevion Williams (F, 7700) is priced down $500 and matchup is a good one as PSU has had troubles stopping opposing bigs. He got a double-double last time in only 19 minutes, so 5x is certainly achievable. Jaden Ivey (G, 5800) is the future of the program, two 7x games in last 4. Penn St is stout on the perimeter however so a risky GPP play. Eric Hunter (G, 5300) and Brandon Newman (G/F, 4900) both hit 5x last time they played the Nittany Lions. Both should be solid cash options. Zach Edey (F, 4200) has settled into his role, but he’s very consistent and won’t burn you to try him out as a budget option.

Myreon Jones (G, 7500) had 23 real points last time vs Purdue. He’s in solid form and should be a good bet at home even at an elevated price point. Izaiah Brockington (G/F, 6600) is a bit overpriced and not in great form. John Harrar (F, 6300) has seen his price drop of late. Great spot to repeat his 14 and 14 performance from last time. Jamari Wheeler (G, 5700) has some steal upside and coming off 6x.

Penn State -1, (140) – 6:00

KenPom: Marshall -3, (141) – 6:00

North Texas @ Marshall

This game will feature contrasting styles as North Texas and their 340^th rated tempo travel to Marshall who plays as the nation’s 26^th fastest pace under Dan D’Antoni. Slower paced teams being paced up is always something to look for on a DK slate, so we’ll target the UNT first. Javion Hamlet (G, 6100) sets the table for this team and boast 27% usage and shot rates. He’s shown 40 DK upside, but has zero steal upside. Defense isn’t part of his game, like Byrd in High School. James Reese (G/F, 6700) and Zachary Simmons (F, 6000) are both viable options, as Marshall is a poor rebounding team, and these two will clean up the glass and score in double figures. Thomas Bell (F, 5100) is a safe cash option, and if you are looking for a cheap deep cut, JJ Murray (G, 3500) has been playing mid 20s minutes lately.

North Texas will try to turn the Thunder Herd into the Plotting Herd which impacts the upside of their big 3. Jarrod West (G, 9000), Taevion Kinsey (G/F, 8300), and Andrew Taylor (8000) will all have a hard time hitting value in this one given their high price points. You can’t stack these unless you think Vegas is wrong and Marshall is going to blow them out. I am okay with one, however, and like Kinsey of the three. Jannson Williams (F, 5300) mans the pivot, but he isn’t on my radar. Mikel Byers (F, 4600) can be ball hoggy at times, which we like, but this is a rough game environment for Marshall role players.

KenPom: Marshall -3, (141) – 6:00

Utah State -7.5, (142) – 8:00

Nevada @ Utah State

The Wolfpack and Aggies hook up as they jockey for seeding for the up and coming Mountain West conference tournament. Nevada (9-5 in the MWC) has won 4-straight, but come in as dogs tonight. They are led by Grant Sherfield (G, 9400) who has gone for 52 DK in both his last two making him the highest priced guard on this slate. Desmond Cambridge (G, 6900) is a cheaper pivot and actually has a higher shot share than Sherfield. Those two completely dominate the backcourt for the Wolfpack. Pricing drops significantly at forward after that, which is probably okay given they will be collectively facing Neemias Queta. Warren Washington (F, 5600) can be a double-double threat on an average night, Zane Meeks (F, 5200) has shown GPP upside, as has KJ Hymes (F, 4200) – I am probably looking elsewhere though.

Queta (F, 9700) is the overall price king. He has had back-to-back 30 point double-doubles and tonight takes on a team that struggles to keep opponents off the offensive glass. Queta should have another monster, if you can afford the price. Marco Anthony (G/F, 6500) and Justin Bean (F, 5500) start at the small and power forwards and are both viable. The backcourt is dealing with a lower leg injury for Rollie Worster (G, 6200). If me misses again Steven Ashworth (G, 4900) and Brock Miller (G, 4200) will play all the minutes. Ashworth has assist upside, while Miller is shooting 42% from 3 on 110 attempts.

Utah State -7.5, (142) – 8:00

UAB -3.5, (144.5) – 6:00

UAB @ UTSA

The Blazers are coming off a 72-point victory over Rust college. Keep that in mind when looking at game logs. Quan Jackson (G, 7100) is in excellent form, but priced up $1000, I am probably looking elsewhere. Tavin Lovan (G/F, 5900) leads the team in usage and has a 60 burger on his resume this year, so I’d rather go that direction. Trey Jemison (F, 5800) is the team’s best rebounder and shot blocker. Kassim Nicholson (F, 5000) joins him in the post and is a steady cash option. Guards Tyreek Scott-Grayson (5600) and Michael Ertel (5500) can be considered, whereas one-time standout Jalen Benjamin (G, 3900) and his 27% shot share have slid down in the rotation.

Jhivvan Jackson (G, 9200) has 40 DK in 5-of-7, so there’s that. Keaton Wallace (G/F, 7300) is Jackson-lite for $2000 less. Neither come off the floor, so both are live in GPPs. Jacob Germany (F, 5700) had 50 DK two games ago, and the 6-11 sophomore has seen his minutes come back up lately. I like him in GPPs as well. Four other Roadrunners make up a list of 5K-range dart throws. Edgar Parrish (G/F, 5600) is their best defender. Former Houston Cougar, Cedric Alley (F, 4800), has gone 5x in 2-of-4. Guards Erik Czumbel (4600) and Jordan Ivy-Curry (4300) split time at the 2-guard.

UAB -3.5, (144.5) – 6:00

St. Louis -4.5, (145) – 6:00

Richmond @ St. Louis

We’ve got an A-10 matchup with two teams that are probably better than their records suggest. Both teams play at an average pace and the Spiders have been dominated in the paint, 326^th in 2-point field goal percentage defense. Offensively, Richmond plays a super tight rotation which is great news for DFS purposes. Even better, their pricing is incredibly soft so pick a Spider tonight. Jacob Gilyard (G, 6400) plays the 4^th most minutes in the nation and has the highest steal rate. Blake Francis (G, 5900) has the highest shot share, scoring double figures in every game since Dec. 9^th. Tyler Burton (F, 7200) has been very up and down, so he has tourney upside, but price doesn’t stand out as much as others, including Grant Golden (F, 7000). Golden is $200 cheaper, but has significantly higher shot share and assist rates, along with similar rebounding upside. Finally, Nathan Cayo (F, 5400) has double digit scoring in 8 of their last 9 and has showed upside. You really can’t go wrong with any Spiders tonight.

Jordan Goodwin (G/F, 8700) does a bit of everything and his price is down a bit. He has 40+ DK upside if you can afford him. Javonte Perkins (G/F, 6800) is their best scorer, but he is a bit scoring dependent as well. Hasahn French (F, 6100) is a tough, undersized big. He doesn’t have a ton of usage, but he can rebound, block shots, and even pass a bit so he’s a tourney option that has shown 5x upside recently. Yuri Collins (G, 5000) played 32 minutes last game, so it appears he’s fully recovered from his ankle issue. He lived in the 4-5x range prior to the injury, so we are getting a nice price discount here. Fred Thatch, Jr. (G, 4800) minutes are back down with the return of Collins and Gibson Jimerson (G, 4700) is more of a designated shooter who has only hit value in two games in 2021. Overall, given the pricing and highest over/under on the slate, this is a great game stack option tonight.

St. Louis -4.5, (145) – 6:00

Prize Picks – 2/26/21

Myreon Jones

Penn St.

Jones had 23 real points in their first matchup and sits at 27% shot share in conference play. He’s scored double digits in every game but 1 since early December, and has the ever important steal upside. He may need to fall into a rebound or two, but I think he goes OVER 23.2.

– Byrd

Trevion Williams

Purdue

Essentially had this in 19 minutes the first game. PSU has been a Cadbury egg on defense this season, hard on the outside and soft in the middle. He’s always a gamble but I like him to get OVER 31.2

– James

Grant Sherfield

Nevada

35.4 is huge number for a guard, but Nevada’s lead wolf is averaging 19-4-6 on the year. Sherfield also averages 1.6 steals per game and Utah State can be careless with the basketball (224th in TO%). I’ll Grant you this – he goes OVER 35.4.

– Joe