The 2023 NCAA Tournament is finally here and it's time to build CBB DFS lineups ahead of tonight's First Four March Madness matchups. We have Nevada vs. Arizona State and Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Texas Southern in the First Four to headline college basketball DFS picks on Wednesday night. There are also a few NIT Tournament games on tap tonight, including Virginia Tech at Cincinnati and UCF at Florida. Before you fill out those NCAA Tournament brackets, let's win some money for tonight's CBB DFS slate. The FanDuel slate includes four games while DraftKings is a five-game slate with the late-night UC Irvine vs. Oregon matchup added on. 

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College Basketball CBB DFS Slate & Betting Odds March 15

(per DraftKings Sportsbook)

  • 6:40 pm ET – Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Texas Southern (-2.5) – 147.5 O/U
  • 7 pm ET – UCF at Florida (-2.5) – 145.5 O/U
  • 8:55 pm ET – Nevada vs. Arizona State (-2) – 135 O/U
  • 9 pm ET – Virginia Tech at Cincinnati (-5.5) – 154 O/U
  • 11 pm ET – UC Irvine at Oregon (-7) – 146 O/U

CBB Top Projected Team Totals

(per KenPom.com)

  1. Cincinnati – 80
  2. Texas Southern – 77
  3. Fairleigh Dickinson – 75
  4. Virginia Tech – 74
  5. Florida – 72
  6. UC Irvine – 71

 

College Basketball CBB DFS Picks 3/15

CBB DFS Top Guards

PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Landers Nolley IICINCYVT830030.79710027.67
Both Landers Nolley and David DeJulius are firmly in play tonight as Cincy’s 1-2 punch in the highest total tonight. You can realistically play both or either one, but Nolley gets the slight nod. The wing is averaging 18.6 PPG and 32 DK over the past 10 games and has one of the best floor/ceiling combos on this slate. Plus, there’s some added motivation here facing his former team, Virginia Tech.
Jarod LucasNEVASU710024.17690022.28
Lucas has been up and down for DFS and real life for Nevada lately. Still, he ended the season strong with 23+ points scored in three straight games and DK outputs of 27, 37, and 42 in those contests. If Nevada wants to win this First Four matchup, it’ll likely have to ride Lucas offensively. The former Oregon State transfer has legit Tournament experience and won’t shy away from this environment. He’s at a great price for GPP upside.
Riley KugelUFUCF680016.9680015.51
Kugel has been Florida’s top playmaker ever since Colin Castleton went out for the year. The freshman is averaging 19.2 PPG and 29 DK over the past six games with Castleton sidelined. He’s regularly taking double-digit shots in a higher-usage role now and has evolved into a top DFS guard option if on the slate. At home in this NIT matchup, bank on Kugel to be heavily involved once again as a strong cash play.
PJ HenryTXSOFDU660020.75580019.61
The senior point guard led Texas Southern in usage rate (27%) and shot share (31%) during conference play. Though Texas Southern rolls with a deep rotation, Henry is the team’s alpha on offense right now. He’s averaging 18.8 PPG and 26 DK over the past 10 games and has shown the upside for 35-40 DK at his best. Fairleigh Dickinson ranks 361st in defensive efficiency this season and Henry has plenty of GPP upside in this matchup.

Also Consider:

  • Demetre Roberts – Fairleigh Dickinson (GPP)
  • David DeJulius – Cincinnati (Cash/GPP)
  • Desmond Cambridge – Arizona State (GPP)
  • Sean Pedulla – Virginia Tech (Cash/GPP)

CBB DFS Value Guards

PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Mika Adams-WoodsCINCYVT580019.79520018.13
If you want a cheap piece of the slate’s highest total, Cincy has a couple of options. Both Adams-Woods and Jeremiah Davenport are GPP bargains who can return 5x value or better at their best – though both are tough to fully trust in cash lineups. Adams-Woods has shown the upside of 37 and 26 DK in two recent games and he has 20+ DK in four of the past five. Still, there are some duds in the past month, so temper expectations.
Rodney RiceVTCINCY480014.71410013.29
Rice carved out a solid bench role for Virginia Tech over the past month after being sidelined pretty much all season. The freshman has scored double-digit points in three of the past five games and exploded for 17 points with five made three-pointers last time out. His potential for 20+ DK puts him firmly in play tonight at his sub-5k price tags if his role of 20 minutes or so per game continues.
Keeshawn BarthelemyOREUCIR470016.06  
Barthelemy will likely be Oregon’s lead ball-handler and top offensive option by default tonight with both Will Richardson and Jermaine Couisnard out. If N’Faly Dante is sidelined too, then it’s even more usage and shot volume heading Barthelemy’s way. The combo guard has scored in double figures in four of the past six games while coming off the bench, but his ancillary stat floor and overall DFS ceiling are a lot higher with his teammates out. Expect him to be chalky.
Rivaldo SoaresOREUCIR370014.54  
If you want an even cheaper Oregon guard tonight, Soares should be locked into as many minutes as he can handle with Richardson and Couisnard out. The senior wing is already a regular starter, but he should now get an uptick in shots and overall DFS production with his teammates sidelined. The Ducks lack depth in the frontcourt and it’s basically Barthelemy and Soares doing most of the backcourt ball-handling now.
Kolby GrangerTXSOFDU360011.146009.52
The Texas Southern freshman has been starting since early February and is averaging 28 minutes and 20 DK per game over the past 10 contests. More often than not lately, Granger is outperforming his cheap price tags tonight (especially sub-4k on DK). He’s a very cheap way to get a piece of the higher-scoring First Four matchup and can do just enough across the board to return value.

Also Consider:

  • Joe Munden – Fairleigh Dickinson (Cash)
  • Kowacie Reeves – Florida (GPP)
  • Jamiya Neal – Arizona State (GPP)

CBB DFS Top Forwards

PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Justyn MuttsVTCINCY890033.29840030.89
After being a whopping $9800 on DK last game, Mutts gets a notable discount – though he’s still the price king on both sites tonight. The Virginia Tech point forward should stuff the stat sheet per usual in this pace-boost matchup. He’s averaging 13.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 34 DK over the past 10 games and has the upside for 40-50 DK tonight. You can feel pretty good about him in cash or GPP.
Taylor HendricksUCFUF820031.81800029.63
Assuming he doesn’t sit out, which is possible since he’s an NBA Draft prospect, Hendricks will be a top DFS performer tonight. The standout freshman is averaging 17.4 PPG and 32 DK over the past 10 games and he’s shown 40+ DK upside in three of the past five games coming into this contest. Hendricks should have particular success offensively inside against a subpar Florida frontcourt without Colin Castleton. Plus, this is a nice pace boost for UCF.
Viktor LakhinCINCYVT670025.98620024.84
Lakhin is the definition of a boom-or-bust GPP play. The Cincinnati big man has the potential for 30-40 DFS points when he’s dominating the paint on both ends. Still, he just as easily can get into foul trouble and/or fail to be effective while tanking your lineup. It’s a simple risk/reward with Lakhin and it’s a toss-up whether he’ll have a floor or ceiling game vs Virginia Tech’s frontcourt dup of Grant Basile and Justyn Mutts.
Joirdon Karl NicholasTXSOFDU630027.21610023.34
Unfortunately, a lot of the Texas Southern guys are boom or bust for DFS while being impossible to fully trust in cash. For GPP, though, fire away on this small slate as John Walker, Davon Barnes, and Joirdon Karl Nicholas all have the potential to go for 30-40 DK at their best. The spread-out production and deep rotation can also result in duds, so be wary. Nicholas is averaging 10 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 26 DK over the past 10 games and has three double-doubles in the past six contests.

Also Consider:

  • Grant Basile – Virginia Tech (Cash/GPP)
  • N'Faly Dante – Oregon (GPP if he plays)
  • John Walker – Texas Southern (GPP)

CBB DFS Value Forwards

PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Michael DurrUCFUF550015.06500014.42
Durr has been an up-and-down value all season, but he did finish strong with 18+ DK in four straight games coming into this contest. The 7-footer should have an advantage inside tonight with no Colin Castleton for Florida and Jason Jitoboh being inexperienced. Durr can do enough as a rebounder, shot-blocker, and scorer around the rim to return value at affordable price points on both sites.
Jason JitobohUFUCF46007.3247006.85
Although he hasn’t done a ton with Colin Castleton out, at least Jitobah is in a more solidified role as Florida’s starting center right now. The senior big man is averaging a decent 15.5 DK over the past five games while starting in Castleton’s place. It’s nothing flashy, but you could do a lot worse in this sub-5k price range tonight without many value forwards to choose from.
Kel'el WareOREUCIR390015.42  
If N’Faly Dante plays, then he can be rostered as an upside GPP play tonight. If he sits, which seems likely as of this writing, then Ware would be in line for a lot more playing time and possibly a starting role. The freshman 7-footer has plenty of talent and was regularly putting up 25-35 DK earlier this season when he was playing more with Oregon missing guys. Ware is very cheap and should be a popular value if Dante is out. Both Quincy Guerrier and Nate Bittle also get boosts if Dante is out.

Also Consider:

  • Tre Coleman – Nevada (GPP)
  • Ody Oguama – Cincinnati (GPP)
  • Quincy Guerrier – Oregon (Cash/GPP)

 

CBB DFS Core Plays 

DraftKings Cash:

  • Riley Kugel – Florida
  • Taylor Hendricks – UCF
  • Keeshawn Barthelemy – Oregon

DraftKings GPP:

  • Jarod Lucas – Nevada
  • PJ Henry – Texas Southern
  • Kel'el Ware – Oregon

FanDuel Cash:

  • Landers Nolley – Virginia Tech
  • Taylor Hendricks – UCF
  • Kolby Granger – Texas Southern

FanDuel GPP:

  • PJ Henry – Texas Southern
  • Jarod Lucas – Nevada
  • Rodney Rice – Virginia Tech
 

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