A full day of college basketball conference tournament games continues with some Thursday night hoops action. DraftKings will tip off at 6:30 pm ET tonight and the slate includes a huge 12 games. It is loaded with intriguing games coming out of the Big East Tournament, ACC Tournament, Pac-12 Tournament, Big 12 Tournament, Big Ten Tournament, and SEC Tournament. If you're looking to play college basketball DFS this season, get full access to our CBB DFS Playbooks and Core Plays with a Fantasy Alarm All-Pro Subscription. If you have any questions about CBB daily fantasy lineup strategy, ask away in the Fantasy Alarm Discord chat. If you missed it, check out the top March Madness Final Four contenders and the Dark Horse Final Four college basketball teams ahead of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Now, let's jump into the CBB DFS top plays and lineup picks for Thursday's main night slate on March 9th.

 

COLLEGE BASKETBALL DFS THURSDAY NIGHT BETTING ODDS

  • 6:30 pm ET – Penn State @ Illinois (-2.5) 140 O/U
  • 7 pm ET – Oklahoma State @ Texas (-6.0) 142 O/U
  • 7 pm ET – DePaul @ Xavier (-12.0) 142 O/U
  • 7 pm ET – Arkansas (-2.0) @ Auburn 144.5 O/U
  • 7 pm ET – North Carolina @ Virginia (-1.5) 129.5 O/U
  • 9 pm ET – Stanford @ Arizona (-9.0) 154 O/U
  • 9 pm ET – Minnesota @ Maryland (-13.0) 133 O/U
  • 9:30 pm ET – TCU (-2.0) @ Kansas State 146.5 O/U
  • 9:30 pm ET – Villanova @ Creighton (-5.0) 134 O/U
  • 9:30 pm ET – LSU @ Vanderbilt (-4.5) 142.0 O/U
  • 9:30 pm ET – North Carolina State (-2.0) @ Clemson 148 O/U
  • 11:30 pm ET – Arizona State @ USC (-4.0) 139.5 O/U

TOP IMPLIED TEAM POINTS

  • Xavier 82.50
  • Arizona 82.00
  • TCU 75.00
  • Texas 74.25
  • Clemson 74.00
  • North Carolina State 74.00
  • Arkansas 73.50
  • Vanderbilt 73.25
  • Kansas State 73.00
  • Maryland 72.25
  • Stanford 72.00

 

College Basketball CBB DFS Picks 3/9 Night

TOP CBB DFS GUARDS

Jalen Pickett – Penn State @ Illinois ($10.1K DK)

Pickett recently became only the second All-American in Penn State program history as he was named a second team All-American by Sporting News. Pickett will finish his career after only two seasons at Penn State (after spending three at Siena) but became one of the best players in program history in that short amount of time. He is averaging 18 points, 7.3 rebound and 7.0 assists per game this year, the only player in the country hitting all three marks plus Pickett’s assist rate of 42.0% in second in the entire nation. Pickett is the top overall guard on the slate and one of the premier stat sheet stuffers but due to his price is more suited for GPPs than cash.

Colby Jones – Xavier vs. DePaul ($8.4K DK)

Jones is just an all-around stud. He is a decent size at 6’6” and sure is efficient- with good size at 6-foot-6 and he sure is efficient- shooting nearly 53% from the field and is over 40% from  beyond the arc after being a sub 30% guy last season. He was recently named BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week, is second on the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game, which ranks eighth in the BIG EAST. He leads Xavier and is fifth in the BIG EAST in assists with 4.6 per game. Jones is the top point per dollar play in pay up/mid-range price bracket and will anchor my cash lineup from the guard spot.

Other Top CBB Guards:

Markquis Nowell, Kansas State ($9.7K) 

Nowell’s 40.8% assist rate is #3 in the nation and like Pickett is one of the premier stat sheet stuffers in the entire country.

Souley Boum, Xavier ($8.6K)

Boum leads Xavier and ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring with 16.8 points per game. He is also second on the team and tied for sixth in the league in assists with 4.5 per game. 

Jahmir Young, Maryland ($8.0K)

Young has been awesome this year with a 29.5% usage and 30.1% shot rate. He plays every minute and is coming off a 41 DKFP game at Penn State.

Nick Smith Jr, Arkansas ($7.0K)

Smith Jr. is a special player and an NBA lottery pick. He still has fresh legs after missing half the season and has put up 32+ DKFP in two of his last three games including 48 DKFP over the weekend against Kentucky.

Jordan Wright G/F, Vanderbilt ($6.4K)

Wright is too cheap here and is multi-position eligible. He has not lived up to expectations this season but has come alive at the perfect point of the season with back-to-back 34 DKFP games. 

Tyrin Lawrence, Vanderbilt ($6.4K)

Lawrence is as steady as they come with a 22 DKFP+ floor. He is a solid cash player, but his ceiling is limited in GPPs.

Sir’Jabari Rice, Texas ($6.2K)

Rice has a 28% usage rate and is averaging 28 DKFP (18.0 PPG, 2.8 RPG and 2.2 APG) over his last five games. 

 

CBB DFS TOP GUARD VALUES

Tyreek Hunter, Texas ($5.3K)

Hunter now has 23+ DKFP in four straight games and 26+ DKFP in three straight. We’ve been waiting for this all season as we saw how capable of a player he was at Iowa State last year. Hunter still must be considered volatile but I’m not afraid. 

Michael O’Connell, Stanford ($4.9K)

Anytime you have a starting point guard that plays 30+ minutes and is sub-$5K you must at least look into it. O’Connell is not going to carry your lineup to a tournament win but he will give you double-digit DKFP at the minimum and he also did light up this same Arizona team for 22 points and three rebounds (28 DKFP) just under a month ago.

KD Johnson, Auburn ($4.6K)

Johnson is so volatile but he can take over a game at any point. His last three games tell the whole story- 10 DKFP, 34 DKFP and 5 DKFP. 

Desmond Claude, Xavier ($4.4K)

Guard value is lacking tonight so that puts Claude in play. He comes off the bench but has been averaging 28 minutes over the last three games and has settled in with a 15-20 DKFP floor which is good enough for 4-5X.

Cam Carter, Kansas State ($3.8K)

Pivoting to Carter last Saturday after Desi Sills was ruled out was one of my better calls over the last few weeks. He scored 13 points along with five assists and put up 24 DKFP in one of his best games of the year. If Sills is out again I am going back to this $3.8K punt as he only needs 15+ DKFP for 4X value. 

TOP CBB DFS FORWARDS

Azuolas Tubelis – Arizona vs. Stanford ($9.7K)

Tubelis is a highly skilled forward that’s continued to improve each season at the college level and is now playing with a chip on his shoulder as he recently lost out to UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. Known for being a scorer, the big 6-foot-11 forward is a double-double machine and is the seventh ranked player in the KenPom Player of the Year Standings. He carries a 28.3% usage and 31.1% shot rate to go along with a combined 34% rebounding rate. With his upside in transition and ability to pull down a rebound and push on his own Tubelis is in a smash spot against Stanford as the top pay up forward.

Jordan Wright G/F – Vanderbilt vs. LSU ($6.4K)

After early season hip and back injuries Wright’s season has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. As the injuries and more early-season disappointments mounted, the senior had some uncharacteristically low scoring outputs, including just six combined points against Fresno St., VCU and NC State. In Wright’s first game back from injury in early February he had 12 points, three rebounds and two steals helped the Commodores stun No. 6 Tennessee, sparking an epic turnaround where Vandy began a red-hot stretch, winning four of their next five to vault themselves right back into the thick of the NCAA Tournament conversation. The main reason? Wright is now healthy and looks like the player he has been for the last few years scoring 23 and 19 points in his last two games against Kentucky and Mississippi State (34 DKFP in both contests). Now he gets LSU, who is on the second game of a back-to-back and at $6.4K Jordan Wright is just too cheap tonight for the way has been playing.

Other Top CBB Forwards:

Jack Nunge, Xavier ($8.2K)

Nunge is Xavier's second-leading rebounder with an average of 7.7 rebounds per game, ranking fourth in the Big East plus he is third on the team and 14th in the conference in scoring at 14.0 points per game.

Harrison Ingram, Stanford ($7.4K)

Ingram is another stud on this slate that is a possible NBA lottery pick. Over his last five games he carries a 28% usage rate along with a 31 DKFP average. 

Nick Ongenda, DePaul ($8.3K)

Since Ongenda returned from injury on 2/18 he has just smashed. He has not been under 25 DKFP with a high of 47 DKFP against Marquette. His non-goaltending call upset Seton Hall last night and the big guy is looking for more tonight.

Spencer Jones, Stanford ($7.8K)

All-Pac-12 second team for second year in a row for Jones. He leads the team in scoring for the second consecutive season with 13.9 points, and his average bumps up to 15.4 points per game in Pac-12 play, which puts him as the No. 8 scorer in the conference.

Julian Reese, Maryland ($7.9K)

Reece has been a monster and one of the most improved players in the nation. A new coaching staff which includes a new “big man coach” has vaulted Reese to the next level as he has 40+ DKFP in three of his last five games (15.6 points per game and 11.6 rebounds per game). Minnesota interior is soft, and Reese is going to smash today. 

CBB DFS TOP FORWARD VALUES

Tyreek Smith, Oklahoma State ($3.5K)

If Smith gets the start again today get him in your lineup. Over his last two games he has put up 20 and 27 DKFP while averaging 25 minutes. This is a bargain basement price here.

Quentin Millora-Brown, Vanderbilt ($3.7K)

Millora-Brown certainly isn’t Liam Robbins but a lot can happen if the big guy plays 30 minutes and can stay out of foul trouble- but that’s a big IF! He could score 5 DKFP or 25 DKFP making QMB a GPP-only.

Dylan Disu, Texas ($4.9K)

Disu is another extremely volatile player that can totally take over a game like he did at Baylor two weeks ago with 24 points, four rebounds, two dimes and two steals (37 DKFP). The game before that he was home against Iowa State and put up eight DKFP. Get my point?

Emmanuel Anson, Vanderbilt ($3.0K)

Total minimum priced dart as Anson should start at center tonight for Vandy. He should only see 20 minutes max, but it doesn’t take much to hit 4-5X value at $3.0K. 

 

DraftKings CBB DFS Core Plays 

  • Jordan Wright G/F – Vanderbilt
  • Colby Jones – Xavier
  • Tyreek Smith (if he starts) – Oklahoma State (V)
  • Julian Reese – Maryland 
 


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