College Basketball Grind Down: Sat, Dec 14

by Jon Schiller (Varncass) Last Updated 2013-12-14 21:02:01

No college football this week so why not load up some college hoops? We have a great slate of games today and there should be a good selection of players to choose from. There are some marquee matchups as well which should make it more interesting than a bunch of blowout games. FanDuel has some of the bigger tournaments up, so let’s get those filled so they know there is interest for the games.

FanDuel has all of the games previewed below in their player pools, and DraftStreet and DraftKings have a bigger pool. In those, players from Oklahoma State, Washington, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and Stanford are all going to make solid plays. Keep in mind that Chris Jones from Louisville is not playing so it will be the Terry Rozier show and he makes a terrific play on all sites.

All stats courtesy of kenpom.com

Arizona T: 67.5

Arizona is very talented, but the one guy I am really disappointed in is Aaron Gordon. He has not been the dominant force in the last couple of games against better competition, and is not a very efficient player. He is shooting 44% from the free throw line and is ice cold with his jumper; his only points come off layups. Nick Johnson price has skyrocketed as well, and his production is down also in the last couple of games making him a speculative play today. Michigan is tough defensively, plays really slow, and this is a 9am game for Arizona so I expect them to come out a bit sluggish. I am most likely going to avoid all Wildcats today in one of the lower scoring games of the night but if you really want to play one, I like Brandon Ashley’s matchup on Glenn Robinson and I also like TJ McConnell as a H2H play as he can stuff the stat sheet and is pretty low risk.

Michigan T: 65.2

Does anyone doubt how much Trey Burke meant to this team? Glenn Robinson’s efficiency has gone through the floor without his point guard and is a real DFS risk now. The guy on Michigan who looks like the best player is Nik Stauskas who has developed a dribble drive, improved his shot and has a better handle. I love Stauskas but not today, as Nick Johnson will likely get the task of defending Stauskas and the Nick with a C is a fierce on-ball defender and can deny the Nik without a C the ball pretty easily. This is one of the lowest scoring games of the day, and the only guy I would really consider for Michigan is McGary if he continues to be cheap.

Notre Dame T: 67.2

What has happened here? Notre Dame has dropped 3 games so far this year while only beating one decent team in Delaware. The defense is what is killing them, as it has really completely disappeared. Sherman and Connaughton are not great defenders and neither is Jackson. Mike Brey needs to figure out how to ramp up the defensive intensity before ACC play. Anyways, due to their poor defense, they have needed to score a ton, and their offense is proficient as such making for some solid DFS plays. Connaughton has proved to be a very solid rebounder this year and is definitely in play today. Sherman will get Vonleh, and should be able to put up some solid numbers again while allowing Vonleh to get his as well. The guy I am concerned about is Eric Atkins. Atkins has been pretty horrible recently, going for 2, 3, and 12 pts in his last 3 games. He gets assists though, so he salvages something, but his cold shooting is really bothering me and he will likely be shadowed by someone 5-6 inches taller on Indiana, I am going to fade him today. Jerian Grant is a stud and should be used in this game a ton to score for Notre Dame.

Indiana T: 73.2

One more game from Yogi in the pits and I am going to rethink calling him Yogi and begin calling him Kevin until he gets it together. I think today is as good as any as I believe Brey will come out in a zone as Indiana does not have many shooters, opening up a bunch of open shots for Ferrell. I really really like Yogi’s chances at having an early season type game in this one especially against the zone and I would fire him up with confidence today. Jeremy Hollowell has been playing really well lately and should be cheap, but between Hollowell, Sheehey, and Williams you never know who is going to go off. Evan Gordon, the Arizona State transfer and brother of Eric Gordon has been playing his way into more playing time and should be used a lot more in this game if Indiana needs a shooter. If he is cheap, he is a GPP play. Vonleh is a stud and should be used when applicable, as Sherman will not be able to defend him.

Tulsa T: 70.6

I am not really sure what to think about Tulsa here. Sure they are projected to score in the mid 70’s, but half their roster only plays half the game making them DFS outcasts. James Woodard and Rashad Smith are the guys to own here, but if you use anyone on Tulsa you are taking a risk. Smith is the tallest guy playing a bunch of minutes and he is a terrible rebounder which makes no sense. The other thing is that Patrick Swilling who is taking most of the shots for this team is a terrible offensive player. I would consider Woodard and Smith in GPPs but not much more.

Oklahoma T: 74.9

With Oklahoma expected to score 87 in this game, you want to be targeting some players from OU. They have a very good team, as Buddy Hield is for real and Cameron Clark is emerging as a workhorse for the Sooners. Clark is going to be an absolute beast in this game and I am high on him across the industry. With Smith on Spangler, and no one else of any skill or height on the Tulsa team, Clark should be able to pull down a plethora of rebounds, not to mention having a huge advantage on the offensive side of the ball. With the injury to Hornbeak, Hield should get some extra minutes, and if you wanted to stack the 2, I would even say that is a solid proposition in this game because they will both get theirs. Spangler is not a bad play either, as he is like a 13-8 lock with some upside. I like Woodard a bit more than Cousins but they both should grab a few extra minutes with the Hornbeak injury. You definitely want some exposure to Oklahoma today to do well.

Kentucky T: 69.2

The Harrison twins have not impressed me at all for how hyped they were coming into college, especially Andrew. Andrew has been basically terrible, and should not be considered, he just brings nothing to the fantasy table. Aaron Harrison makes a decent GPP play, but James Young takes a ton of his shots. If you only want points, James Young is a solid play but he really will not get you anything else, maybe a sprinkling of rebounds and assists, but he is out there to shoot the ball and those make very risky fantasy plays. Julius Randle is the stud here and should easily be able to get a double double against the inside game of North Carolina. Randle is quicker than Meeks and James and is stronger than Brice Johnson, so unless they double, Randle is going to do work in the low block today. Willie Cauley-Stein has some ridiculous hair, but he still is a blocked shot monster and rebounder and makes a stellar play on FanDuel as usual.

North Carolina T: 70.5

Who knows what to make of North Carolina? I will not even begin to guess what the final score is going to be with this Jekyll and Hyde team but I will go with KenPom.com who has UNC as 77-73 favorites. Nate Britt can be safely ignored as I think UNC is going to have to go big using Joel James and Kennedy Meeks on the floor at the same time, and using at least one on the floor to match up with Randle and WCS. Meeks’ price is all over the board and makes a decent play if he is towards minimum salary as I think he gets a bunch of minutes. James Michael McAdoo makes the most interesting play today. He is not very good, but will have the best shot out of any of UNC’s players at having a big game, and he does have that potential along with being a big part of UNC’s offense. It’s just one of those games where you hope he rises to the occasion and makes shots but from what I have watched of him, the hype was unwarranted. Brice Johnson should play a good complement of minutes as well and I like him as an upside play in GPPs as well.

Butler T: 65.6

I am kind of excited to see this game as Butler really needs this game as a resume win. Khyle Marshall is a stud and should be good for 17 points and 8 rebounds especially against the rotating door of 3 men for Purdue. If you want a really cheap option, Erik Fromm has been hovering around 5k on Draftstreet for a while now, and is usually a lock for 10-15 fantasy points which will make value, he just has no upside so he is most useful in H2H games. A guy at 5k who gets all those minutes that Fromm does and takes 20% of the shots is a gold mine. Kellen Dunham has such a sweet stroke, I love watching him play. He is going to take a ton of shots, and neither Ronnie nor Terone can guard him. I like Dunham to score 20 tonight but the issue is if he is going to get any rebounds or assists. Kam Woods is a fierce rebounder but may end up against AJ Hammons so I am staying away from him tonight.

Purdue T: 72.2

AJ Hammons has to be one of the most frustrating players in the country. He has stretches where he looks like he can be a dominating player, and other stretches where he looks awful and cannot stay on the court because of foul trouble. Because of his block rate and cheap salary, I cannot get away from him on FanDuel, but I think the Butler bigs are cerebral enough to get Hammons into foul trouble early to keep him off the court, so I am avoiding him elsewhere. Other than the Johnsons, Purdue is a mixed bag as they run 10 deep playing lots of minutes. Upside for Peck, Stephens, Smotherman, Davis and Scott are limited as they will play 20 minutes or less. I do not even like Ronnie or Terone too much in a slower type game against a half court team in Butler. I think Terone has the most upside of the 2 so if I am considering anyone from Purdue I would go his way.

West Virginia T: 70.0

Juwan Staten has been a stud this year and is one of the most improved players from last year. It is finally good to see Huggs settle on a couple of starters in Harris and Staten and giving them a ton of minutes. Harris is only a shooter and will need about 26 game points to make value, which will be difficult. Staten can make value with 10 points 10 assists and 7 rebounds, and has the potential for more, so he is the better play here especially against Canty who will not be playing defense as he will be forced to play 40 minutes and carry the load of the scoring. Remi Dibo is a total GPP play and can rack up the points quickly if given the minutes and the shots but he is VERY risky. I do not like any of the Mountaineer big men as they just are not very offensively gifted and rely completely on rebounds and putbacks. They are very risky today as they all rotate minutes but if you pick the right one, it could pay off as with no Pittman, Marshall’s frontcourt is going to be weak.

Marshall T: 74.9

Even though they are projected to lose by a bunch, this Marshall team should provide a ton of value. I am going to do everything I can to get Kareem Canty on all of my teams, as he may end up taking 25 shots today. If you have not heard, leading scorer and #1 option Elijah Pittman is suspended indefinitely, so there are a ton of shots to divide up amongst the Herd. Canty will take some, but I would expect Chris Thomas and even TyQuane Goard to get a few more looks. If you want to look at a super cheap option one place, look at Cheikh Sane who should take most of Pittman’s minutes. He is not very polished but he can rebound and grab a few putbacks and should be able to make his value. Get Canty in your lineups though as he may play the entire game. Ryan Taylor burned a few people before, but he is day-to-day with a hamstring injury. Marshall needs him here so I am expecting him to play, just be careful and research before tip his status. If he plays a full complement of minutes he is a great option as well.

Cincinnati T: 68.0

Sean Kilpatrick is having an incredible offensive season and can really fill it up. He is a joy to watch when firing on all cylinders, but he is really the only finesse player that Cincinnati has. Cincy is athletic and long and wins by playing a tough aggressive style with one scorer. Kilpatrick will get his points and assists, and there will be a ton of dunks for the other 3 guys. This game could end in a fight as well as these teams cannot stand each other. I think this will be a low scoring grind it out affair with Kilpatrick the only guy worth playing with his height advantage over the small Xavier guards.

Xavier T: 69.5

If you use anyone from Xavier other than Christon, you are playing with fire. Christon is the only one playing most of the game for the Musketeers and is the go to guy. Guys like Martin, the Davis’, Randolph, Stainbrook, Philmore, and Farr are only getting about 20 mpg each, so their upside is way limited. Stainbrook should be averaging a bit more but he continues to get in foul trouble so he may be a good low priced option today as he can make value with a few extra minutes. Cincinnati is great defensively, and I expect this game to be a physical battle and a low scoring affair, so I am not really excited about it for a fantasy perspective. Christon is always in play, and should be able to abuse Kilpatrick on the offensive side of the ball, but you will have to pay for him. Cincinnati is long and athletic, so I really do not like any of the X shooters here.

Illinois T: 64.5

Finally, a team that plays it’s starters most of the game. The issue here is that Illinois is playing incredibly slow this year, the slowest team that Groce has ever put on the court. I am having a hard time believing they actually play this slow, so I think Oregon will be able to speed them up a bit and play the game at the Ducks’ pace, increasing the Illinois’ players values here. Rayvonte Rice is a stud, and should reach 20 points fairly easily in this one against Dotson as long as Oregon plays man. If Oregon stays in man, Abrams should have a very solid game with almost half a foot against Loyd. Illinois rebounds as a team, and does not rely on scoring from their bigs, so using guys like Ekey and Egwu is a hard thing to support. Egwu has a very low ceiling, but Ekey can get hot from 3 and pour in the points, I just do not like him in H2H games. I would stick with the guards in this one and I really like Abrams chance to put up a nice game.

Oregon T: 70.9

Luckily for Oregon, in their final game without Artis and Carter, they face a good Illinois team which they match up well with. Oregon’s front court is very thin, but it helps that Illinois is also a guard oriented offense. Johnathan Loyd has been stellar as the point guard filling in for Artis, and Dana Altman is not even sure what the roles of those 2 are going to be seeing as how well these guys have played so far. Loyd has really settled into the role and is an incredible distributor right now with guys who can make shots. I am not afraid to roll him out on my teams as he is a lock for at least 5 assists and some points. Joseph Young is having an incredible offensive season, but gives up a couple inches to Rice or Bertrand who will most likely guard him. My favorite play on Oregon though is Mike Moser who should have a stellar game against Ekey and Egwu. Ekey is just not quick or strong enough to deal with Moser and if they put Egwu on him, Moser can step Egwu out to the 3pt line and really make Illinois pay.