Thursday brings another full day of college basketball conference tournament games and we have an early CBB DFS slate to dive into. The Thursday early afternoon slates on DraftKings and FanDuel include matchups in the Big Ten Tournament, SEC Tournament, and AAC Tournament with top teams like Alabama, Purdue, and Houston in action. The DK slate has six games while FD is five, with the Tennessee vs. Missouri game being the outlier. 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 early afternoon slate on March 9th.

 

College Basketball CBB DFS Slate & Betting Odds March 10 Early Slate

(per DraftKings Sportsbook)

  • 12 pm ET – Rutgers vs. Purdue (-5.5) – 127.5 O/U
  • 1 pm ET – Mississippi State vs. Alabama (-7) – 136.5 O/U
  • 1 pm ET – East Carolina vs. Houston (-21.5) – 134 O/U
  • 2:30 pm ET – Ohio State vs. Michigan State (-3.5) – 138 O/U
  • 3 pm ET – Temple vs. Cincinnati (-5) – 141.5 O/U
  • 3:30 pm ET – Tennessee (-5.5) vs. Missouri – 141.5 O/U

CBB Top Projected Team Totals

(per KenPom.com)

  1. Tennessee – 77
  2. Houston – 77
  3. Cincinnati – 74
  4. Michigan State – 72
  5. Alabama – 71
  6. Missouri – 69
  7. Ohio State – 69
  8. Purdue – 66

 

College Basketball CBB DFS Picks 3/10

CBB DFS Top Guards

PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Marcus SasserUHECU880029.9770027.58
This should be an easy win for Houston, but Sasser can still do his thing to be a DFS stud per usual. He went for 22 points and 35 DK vs East Carolina at the end of February and should have similar success offensively in this rematch. Sasser is averaging a comfortable 18.1 PPG and 30 DK over the past 10 games and had scored at least 20 points in six straight before last game.
David DeJuliusCINCYTEMP820027.97720025.82
Both Landers Nolley and David DeJulius are great plays from Cincinnati today. You likely can’t go wrong with either one, but DeJulius gets the slight nod because he’s a tad cheaper for similar or better DFS production. The Cincy point guard is averaging 16.3 points, 7.4 assists, and 32 DK over the past 10 games for a great cash floor. We went for 20 points, seven dimes, and 31 DK vs Temple in February and should post similar numbers today.
Santiago VescoviTENNMIZZ780027.69  
Vescovi’s DFS and offensive production are now a lot more consistent with Zakai Zeigler out. He’s put up 32+ DK in all three games without Zeigler and scored 14, 21, and 15 points in those outings. That includes a stat-stuffing performance in Thursday’s win over Ole Miss. Now it’s a pace boost vs Missouri and he had 16 points with 27 DK in this matchup a month ago. The argument can be made that Vescovi is the top cash guard on the slate today.
Damian DunnTEMPCINCY770025.57670023.19
Dunn was already a high-usage player for Temple, but he’s now the clear offensive alpha with Khalif Battle away from the team. He’s put up 33, 47, 25, and 34 DK in the past four games with Battle out and scored 21+ points in three of those. Dunn went off for 34 points and 47 DK vs Cincy not too long ago and should active offensively again today for a great floor/ceiling combo in all formats. He'll likely go overlooked with bigger-name guards on the slate.
Tyson WalkerMSUOSU740025.21670023.55
Walker ended the regular season strong with 30+ DK in four straight games while averaging 22 PPG over that span. He’s hot offensively right now and hopefully it carries over into the Big Ten Tournament for our sake. Walker’s price tags make him an upside GPP play on this slate with so many other top guards in action too.

Also Consider:

  • Landers Nolley – Cincinnati (Cash/GPP)
  • AJ Hoggard – Michigan State (GPP)
  • Jamal Shead – Houston (GPP)
  • Josiah Jordan-James – Tennessee (Cash/GPP)

CBB DFS Value Guards

PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Bruce ThorntonOSUMSU580019.3600017.86
This guy has been a regular in the Playbooks lately and we’re rolling with him again today. After scoring 17 points in Thursday’s win over Iowa, the freshman point guard is now averaging 16.8 PPG over the past six games with at least 17 points in four of those. He’s regularly taking double-digit shots and is a focal point of the Ohio State offense at this point. Thornton had 31 DK vs Iowa and now has 25+ DK in five of the past six since Zed Key went out for OSU.
Jahvon QuinerlyBAMAMSST510016.37540014.64
Quinerly has been very inconsistent for DFS and real life this season, but he’s playing a larger and more consistent role for Alabama over the last few games. Despite coming off the bench, he’s logged 28+ minutes in three straight with 29, 42, and 20 DK in those games. Quinerly scored 16, 24, and 12 points in the contests and saw double-digit shot attempts in all three. The talented combo guard also scored 14 points with 25 DK against Mississippi State the last time these teams met.
Jahlil WhiteTEMPCINCY500016.76510015.61
White took on a bigger role for Temple late in the season with Khalif Battle leaving the team. He has 20+ DK in three of the last four games and logged 30+ minutes in back-to-back contests coming into today. Plus, the wing dropped 42 DK with 14 points and 16 rebounds against Cincinnati earlier this season. If we can get that upside with a decent floor at his 5k prices, then it’s a great bargain.
Brandon NewmanPURRU410012.86470011.68
Purdue switched up its starting lineup at the end of the regular season with Newman moving into a bigger role and starting the last two games. He came up huge for the Boilermakers in the regular-season finale with 19 points and a stat-stuffed 41 DK across 34 minutes. Since Purdue won both games with Newman starting recently, expect him to remain there moving forward and it makes him a great value with the uptick in minutes and overall role.
Derek SimpsonRUPUR320011.92500011.31
Simpson moved into the starting lineup on Thursday and promptly went off for 27 DK with a stat line of 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. The freshman has been a bigger part of Rutgers’ offense over the past month and this starting role should continue. Simpson has scored in double figures with double-digit shot attempts in three of the past four games with a usage rate increase as well. The DK price is especially cheap for 7x upside or better if he plays like he did Thursday.

Also Consider:

  • Dashawn Davis – Mississippi State (Cash)
  • Mika Adams-Woods – Cincinnati (GPP)
  • Sean McNeil – Ohio State (Cash/GPP)
  • Emanuel Sharp – Houston (GPP)

CBB DFS Top Forwards

PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Zach EdeyPURRU1130045.211000042.20
Even though he’s very expensive, Edey is always in play with his massive DFS ceiling. The price tags put him more in GPP territory, but the 50-60 DK upside is possible any time out when he’s fully dominating on both ends. For what it’s worth, the Purdue center had 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 41 DK vs Rutgers earlier this year – but that’s actually a floor game for him. At his best, Edey can easily post better numbers in this rematch.
Brandon MillerBAMAMSST950036.73880033.49
Miller should be a popular pay-up forward on this slate – whether it’s because of his proven DFS stud production, his name recognition, or since he’s notably cheaper than Zach Edey. Either way, bank on the Alabama wing being a top overall play today for cash or GPP. Miller is averaging 20.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 38 DK over the past 10 games and he put up 31 and 40 DK vs Mississippi State in the regular season.
Tolu SmithMSSTBAMA860031.11800029.02
Smith dominated Florida on Thursday with 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 49 DK. He’ll need to be just as good today if Mississippi State wants to upset Alabama. It’s definitely a tougher matchup on paper, but Smith’s floor/ceiling combo is still strong for DFS. The big man now has 45+ DK in back-to-back games and is averaging 18.7 PPG and 35 DK over the past 10 contests. He went for 38 DK vs Bama earlier this season.
Joey HauserMSUOSU760027.56690024.99
Hauser can be a risky DFS play, but he ended the season strong and can keep it going in the Big Ten Tournament. The power forward is averaging 18 PPG and 30 DK over the past seven games. That includes his 16 points/27 DK and 22 points/40 DK in two matchups vs Ohio State over the past month. This is a good track record recently for a guy that’s been an up-and-down DFS option. Hauser makes a nice contrarian forward with Edey and Miller being more popular.

Also Consider:

  • Brice Sensabaugh – Ohio State (GPP)
  • J'Wan Roberts – Houston (GPP)

CBB DFS Value Forwards

PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Jamille ReynoldsTEMPCINCY570020.04540018.86
The center hasn’t been as effective since returning from a mid-season injury, but the DFS ceiling to smash the slate is there. We got a glimpse of it last game when Reynolds went off for 17 points, five blocks, and 37 DK. He could give us 30+ DK again against a Cincy defense that allows a ton of opposing scoring inside. Though he only had 11 points and 16 DK in this matchup recently, the ceiling for much more is possible when he’s dominating down low.
Julian PhillipsTENNMIZZ520019.64  
The freshman has stepped into a slightly bigger role for Tennessee in the past three games with Zakai Zeigler out. Phillips had 21 DK with eight points and six rebounds in Thursday’s win and he had 16 and 18 DK in the two previous contests. His DFS production is up to a slightly safer level now with Zeigler out as he plays a bigger role on the wing in Tennessee’s rotation.
Ody OguamaCINCYTEMP430012.86460012.32
Oguama is pretty affordable for a guy that’s averaging 21 DK over the past seven games with double-digit points and 20+ DK in four of those. If the big man can stay out foul trouble, which is definitely a problem for him, then the upside to smash is there at sub-5k price tags – especially on DK. We saw some 37 and 28 DK efforts from him just a month ago.

Also Consider:

  • Ezra Ausar – East Carolina (GPP)
  • Malik Hall – Michigan State (Cash)

 

CBB DFS Core Plays 

DraftKings Cash:

  • Brandon Miller – Alabama
  • Santiago Vescovi – Tennessee
  • Bruce Thornton – Ohio State
  • Brandon Newman – Purdue (if starting)

DraftKings GPP:

  • Marcus Sasser – Houston
  • Joey Hauser – Michigan State
  • Jahvon Quinerly – Alabama
  • Derek Simpson – Rutgers (if starting)

FanDuel Cash:

  • Brandon Miller – Alabama
  • David DeJulius – Cincinnati
  • Jahlil White – Temple

FanDuel GPP:

  • Zach Edey – Purdue
  • Damian Dunn – Temple
  • Jahvon Quinerly – Alabama
 

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