CBB Grind Down: Wednesday, January 7th
Glean insight from one of the game’s best, Varncass, as he lists picks he’ll actually be targeting in his tournament games below, along with detailed analysis and reasoning.
Wednesday, January 7th
There are 15 games tonight again and a very solid slate for some college hoops. Last night was definitely a strange night and while I hit on a lot of my picks, many of the ones I used in my lineups did not pan out. That is why it is Daily Fantasy though, so if you have a bad night you just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and prepare to make some money on the next night.
Syracuse at Georgia Tech
| Syracuse | Georgia Tech | |||||||
| Vegas Total | 129 | Fast Break Pts/Gm | 9.00 | Vegas Total | 129 | Fast Break Pts/Gm | 7.22 | |
| Vegas Sprd | -1 | Paint Pts/Gm | 33.33 | Vegas Sprd | 1 | Paint Pts/Gm | 26.89 | |
| Team Proj. | 65 | Opponent TOs/GM | 13.67 | Team Proj. | 64 | Opponent TOs/GM | 13.56 | |
| Ast/TO Ratio | 111% | Field Goal % | 44.10% | Ast/TO Ratio | 85% | Field Goal % | 43.90% | |
Syracuse
Primary Plays
Rakeem Christmas – Despite having two big guys in the middle in Cox and Mitchell, Georgia Tech continues to allow teams to shoot a massive percentage from inside the paint. This sets up extremely well for Christmas who is light years ahead of McCullough now in rotation minutes and priority. Christmas is a great play today and should be on everyone’s radar.
Secondary Plays
None – with the rising price of Gbinije, the inconsistency of Roberson, the falling out of McCullough and the fact that Cooney only shoots 3 pointers, I do not love any of the other Syracuse players today. Christmas seems to be the safest bet, and in a somewhat close, lower tempo game I would rather use value plays from somewhere else.
Georgia Tech
Primary Plays
Marcus Georges-Hunt – I feel like I am setting myself up for failure here by recommending Georges-Hunt, but he is the clear #1 on this team now. He has a giant usage rate over the last two games and is playing the best basketball that I have seen from him. He plays nearly the entire game and his price has not reached stud levels yet. The Syracuse zone may be an issue, but MGH is the best play on Tech.
Secondary Plays
None – I have a feeling that this zone is really going to effect the Yellow Jackets sans MGH. They have no shooters and do all of their damage inside, so Gregory is going to have to do a lot of back cuts and other things to get guys open under the hoop. I do not trust Mitchell or Cox and think that Georgia Tech could be in some trouble today.
Temple at Tulane
| Temple | Tulane | |||||||
| Vegas Total | 129 | Fast Break Pts/Gm | 5.30 | Vegas Total | 129 | Fast Break Pts/Gm | 6.67 | |
| Vegas Sprd | -1 | Paint Pts/Gm | 24.80 | Vegas Sprd | 1 | Paint Pts/Gm | 36.22 | |
| Team Proj. | 65 | Opponent TOs/GM | 14.67 | Team Proj. | 64 | Opponent TOs/GM | 11.00 | |
| Ast/TO Ratio | 97% | Field Goal % | 36.20% | Ast/TO Ratio | 80% | Field Goal % | 49.70% | |
Temple
Primary Plays
Jaylen Bond – I hate chasing guys whose price continues to go up, but I just like Bond’s matchup today. It is not as great as it was against UCF, but he should do well against a weak Tulane interior. Bond struggles against solid defenders inside, and Tulane does not have any of those. His price has risen, but he showed us his upside on Sunday and I think he has almost that same upside today.
Secondary Plays
Jesse Morgan – Morgan had a poor game against UCF and with Bond’s monster game there was no reason to feed him. I think he bounces back here against Tulane which might scare some people off of him. I like Bond’s matchup better, but I do think there is merit in using Morgan today to differentiate yourself.
Tulane
Primary Plays
Jonathan Stark – This play is completely dependant on Dabney. If Dabney cannot go today, which it looks at this point like he will be able to, then Stark would become an incredible play. His usage rate was huge without Dabney in the lineup and Stark would become the #1 option on offense. If Dabney plays, Stark is still a solid play but the value at his price point goes way down.
Secondary Plays
None – There are too many other value situations for me to deal with this team tonight. While this game should be a close one and Tulane is not as bad as people think, aside from the big 3 guards, there just is not much value to be had in fantasy circles.
North Carolina State at Virginia
| North Carolina State | Virginia | |||||||
| Vegas Total | 126 | Fast Break Pts/Gm | 10.30 | Vegas Total | 126 | Fast Break Pts/Gm | 7.33 | |
| Vegas Sprd | 16 | Paint Pts/Gm | 20.20 | Vegas Sprd | -16 | Paint Pts/Gm | 30.89 | |
| Team Proj. | 55 | Opponent TOs/GM | 10.56 | Team Proj. | 71 | Opponent TOs/GM | 10.90 | |
| Ast/TO Ratio | 107% | Field Goal % | 45.30% | Ast/TO Ratio | 127% | Field Goal % | 48.70% | |
NC State
Primary Plays
None – Virginia is an absolute terror on defense and plays at one of the slowest tempos in the nation. NC State is projected to score 55 points in a 60 possession game. No thanks.
Secondary Plays
None
Virginia
Primary Plays
None – There is definitely value in this Virginia team tonight. I just do not know who is going to provide it. They do a great job of spreading the wealth and feeding the hot man, so any one of the major rotation guys in Perrantes, Tobey, Brogdon, Gill or Anderson could have a monster game. With the bigger slate, I see no reason to risk building your team around it.
Secondary Plays
Malcolm Brogdon – We have not seen last year’s Brogdon yet, but it is mostly because guys like Anderson and Gill have really stepped up and helped shoulder the load. I do not think Brogdon will be on most people’s radars today but I like him against an NC State team which has a better interior defense than perimeter defense.
London Perrantes – Once again, I hate chasing points here but it should be noted that Tony Bennett really wants Perrantes to look for his shot more. Perrantes showed what he could do in the last game, and while that is way above his ceiling I do think he has about a 30 point ceiling today with a 10-point floor. The issue is getting over his history which shows us that he does not take very many shots.
Continue Reading: FanDuel CBB Grind Down & DraftKings CBB Grind Down
Take Your Game to the Next Level!
RotoGrinders College Basketball Incentives give you access to Varncass’ expert insight with daily customized FanDuel and DraftKings Expert Picks, plus you get an Injury Alert hub that updates with player news as the day proceeds, leading to finding some of the best value plays.
Buy CBB Incentives Now!
