The 2023 National Championship for men's college basketball is finally here! After an eventful NCAA Tournament and upset-filled March Madness bracket, the CBB season wraps up tonight with UConn taking on San Diego State. The Huskies are a 7.5-point favorite with an over/under of 132.5 total points for Monday night's National Championship matchup tipping off at 9:20 pm ET. Check out CBB DFS picks below for the showdown slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. We'll break down the top MVP/Captain picks, best Utility plays, and top values for college basketball DFS lineups tonight. Enjoy the game and let's end the 2023 college basketball season with a bang!  

 

NCAA Tournament National Championship CBB DFS Picks 

MVP/Captain Top Picks

Adama Sanogo, UConn

Sanogo will likely be the most popular MVP/Captain pick as UConn’s best player. The big man is having a dominant NCAA Tournament run, averaging 20.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 37 DK over the five games. He just posted 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 40 DK in the Final Four win as the anchor for the Huskies. Even though San Diego State’s strong frontcourt defense could slow him a down a bit, Sanogo is still a top overall play. If he’s not your MVP/Captain, get him into your lineup as a Utility. 

Jordan Hawkins, UConn

If you want a UConn player as your MVP/Captain but want to fade the popular Sanogo, then Hawkins is the guy. The likely first-round NBA Draft pick didn’t have his best performance in the Final Four win, but he was dealing with an illness leading up to the game. We should see a better outing from Hawkins with two more days to recover. The shooting guard can easily go off for 20+ points scored and 30+ DFS points at his best – as he did in both the Elite Eight and Sweet 16. 

Matt Bradley, San Diego State

After going cold in the previous two games, Bradley bounced back in a big way for San Diego State in the Final Four win. The Aztecs’ best player finished with 21 points, six rebounds, and 33 DK while giving us a good glimpse of his real-life and DFS upside when he's feeling it offensively. If SDSU wants to pull the upset, it'll need Bradley to be on point again scoring-wise and aggressive on the offensive end. Facing a stout UConn defense is a slight worry, but Bradley should see enough shot volume and offensive usage to be a top play tonight. He's the contrarian pivot from the UConn guys at MVP/Captain.

Utility Top Picks

Andre Jackson, UConn

Jackson didn’t have his best showing last game because he dealt with foul trouble early in the first half. Despite only logging 22 minutes, he still put up 17 DK with decent production across the board. When Jackson plays his regular 30+ minutes, the potential for 30-40 DFS points is always there with his stat-stuffing tendencies. That was the case in the Elite Eight and Sweet 16 when he put up 32 and 34 DK, respectively. Jackson doesn’t take a ton of shots, but he does so much for UConn on both ends of the floor. His athleticism and length will be needed to combat San Diego State’s physical style of play. Though Jackson is a risky DFS play at times, it’ll be tough to fade him on this showdown slate. 

Tristen Newton, UConn

The Huskies' combo guard did a bit of everything last game with a stat line of seven points, eight assists, and five rebounds for 26 DK. This is the norm for Newton, who tends to rack up plenty of ancillary stats even if he's not heavily involved as a scorer for UConn. The cash floor is usually safe and Newton makes for a solid Utility play on this slate. You could even sneak him into the MVP/Captain spot in GPPs as he does have upside when he's hitting threes. 

Lamont Butler, San Diego State

Fresh off his game-winning buzzer-beater in the Final Four, Butler will again be a key piece for San Diego State in this title game. The junior combo guard is one of the Aztecs' best sources of scoring in the backcourt and from the perimeter. He could be leaned on more often to keep the offense afloat – especially if Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clingan are shutting down the interior. Butler scored 18 points in the Elite Eight win over Creighton and put up 31 DK not too long ago vs Furman. There's upside here if Butler takes on a larger shot share than normal.

Jaedon LeDee, San Diego State

LeDee will have to play an important role for the Aztecs tonight if they want to pull the upset. The backup center could see an increase in minutes and role if starter Nathan Mensah gets into foul trouble vs Adama Sanogo. Last game, LeDee was efficient in limited playing time with 12 points with six rebounds across just 14 minutes. This is usually how it goes for the talented post-scorer who sees high usage when he comes off the bench for 15-25 minutes per game. San Diego State needs LeDee to provide physicality, rebounding, and scoring inside against UConn's center duo of Sanogo and Donovan Clingan.

Value Plays

Nathan Mensah, San Diego State

If San Diego State wants to win, it’ll need Mensah to step up in his matchup vs Adama Sanogo in the paint. Mensah's shot-blocking, rebounding, and defensive presence down low will be key for SDSU to limit Sanogo's effectiveness. The only worry is if Mensah can stay out of foul trouble, which was an issue last game. The Aztecs' center is averaging a decent 6.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, and 21 DK over the past four NCAA Tournament games. That production would make him a value on this slate. 

Aguek Arop, San Diego State

Arop isn't exactly a flashy DFS value play, but he is a decent bargain. The backup big man has been an efficient scorer inside for San Diego State in the past two games, going 7-for-10 from the field combined. He also has at least 13 DK in three of five NCAA Tournament contests now. Again, it's nothing huge, but getting double-digit DFS production from someone this cheap is perfectly fine in cash lineups. 

Nahiem Alleyne, UConn

Alleyne stepped into a bigger role last game with Andre Jackson battling foul trouble and Jordan Hawkins limited with an illness. The Huskies' backup guard took 11 shots in 21 minutes and put up 14 DK in one of his more active games over the past month. The former Virginia Tech transfer usually plays 15-20 minutes off the bench, but he's been a key reserve player for UConn in the NCAA Tournament. Alleyne has scored at least eight points in four of five tourney games despite averaging just 5.1 PPG this season. He makes for a solid salary-saver in cash or GPP if you want a cheap UConn player.

 

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