College Basketball DFS Playbook & Core Plays March 9 Early: Top DraftKings & FanDuel CBB DFS Picks
Welcome to another full day of college basketball conference tournament games with Thursday's action getting going early again. We have both a DraftKings and FanDuel slate tipping off at 12 pm ET today, so let's dive into the top CBB DFS picks and plays. The DK slate includes a whopping 12 games while FD has just five games. There are matchups spanning the Big East Tournament, ACC Tournament, Pac-12 Tournament, Big 12 Tournament, Big Ten Tournament, and SEC Tournament on this early slate. 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 9 Early Slate
(per DraftKings Sportsbook)
- 12 pm ET – St. John’s vs. Marquette (-6.5) – 160.5 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Wake Forest vs. Miami FL (-5.5) – 157 O/U
- 12 pm ET – Rutgers vs. Michigan (-3.5) – 133.5 O/U
- 12:30 pm ET – Iowa State vs. Baylor (-4.5) – 134.5 O/U
- 1 pm ET – Mississippi State (-3.5) vs. Florida – 130.5 O/U
- 2:30 pm ET – Providence vs. UConn (-7) – 143.5 O/U
- 2:30 pm ET – Pittsburgh vs. Duke (-6) – 141 O/U
- 2:30 pm ET – Ohio State vs. Iowa (-2.5) – 153.5 O/U
- 3 pm ET – West Virginia vs. Kansas (-3) – 149.5 O/U
- 3 pm ET – Colorado vs. UCLA (-8.5) – 132.5 O/U
- 3 pm ET – Ole Miss vs. Tennessee (-11) – 128.5 O/U
- 5:30 pm ET – Washington State vs. Oregon (-3) – 124 O/U
CBB Top Projected Team Totals
(per KenPom.com)
- Marquette – 85
- Miami FL – 83
- Iowa – 81
- Ohio State – 79
- Wake Forest – 78
- UConn – 78
- St. John's – 76
- Kansas – 76
- West Virginia – 74
- Duke – 72
- Providence – 71
- UCLA – 71
- Tennessee – 71
College Basketball CBB DFS Picks 3/9
CBB DFS Top Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Tyler Kolek | MARQ | STJN | 9400 | 32.96 | ||
| The Big East Player of the Year has been a DFS stud pretty much every time Marquette is on the slate. Kolek just had 18 points, 10 assists, and 42 DK vs St. John’s in the regular-season finale and posted 14 points, eight assists, and 32 DK against them in the first meeting. Both games were high-scoring ones and today should be a similar game script with tons of possessions for Kolek running the offense. He’s dropped 48, 42, and 42 DK in the past three games and should be good for 40-50 DK once again. | ||||||
| Jordan Miller | MIA | WAKE | 8300 | 29.82 | 7400 | 28.26 |
| There are tons of ways to get exposure to this Wake vs Miami high-scoring matchup, but Miller might be the best point-per-dollar option for cash lineups. Miller is doing a little bit of everything and stuffing the stat sheet on a regular basis to be a consistent DFS stud. He’s averaging 15.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 32 DK over the past 10 games. We can basically pencil in 30 DK or more for the wing in this uptempo tilt. | ||||||
| Santiago Vescovi | TENN | MISS | 7400 | 27.54 | ||
| Vescovi looks to be locked into Tennessee’s offensive alpha role now with Zakai Zeigler out. He has 33 and 34 DK in the two games without Zeigler so far, scoring 14 and 21 points in those games with stuffed stat sheets. Vescovi was already a main part of Tennesse’s offense, but his DFS floor should be a lot safer as the main ball-handler and catalyst. | ||||||
| Tyger Campbell | UCLA | COL | 7100 | 25.48 | ||
| After a slight slump in February, Campbell bounced back in a big way to end the regular season. He’s scored at least 18 points in three of the last four games and went off 21 points in the final matchup vs Arizona. The point guard took on a 28% usage rate and 15 shot attempts in that game as he stepped into an even bigger offensive role in Jaylen Clark’s absence. Campbell has 32+ DK in four straight and is actually a nice bargain at just over 7k. | ||||||
| Nijel Pack | MIA | WAKE | 7000 | 23.07 | 6300 | 20.83 |
| Jordan Miller is your cash stud from Miami, but Pack should not go overlooked in cash or GPP at a notably cheaper price. He’s averaging 16 PPG and 27 DK over the past 10 games and exploded for 24 points/42 DK vs Wake in February. The ancillary stat floor isn’t as strong as Miller’s, but the ceiling for 30-40 DK is definitely there in a high-scoring, uptempo matchup today. | ||||||
| Riley Kugel | UF | MSST | 6500 | 16.48 | 6300 | 15.15 |
| Kugel has been Florida’s offensive alpha ever since Colin Castleton went out. He’s averaging 20.2 PPG with a 28% usage rate over the past five games with Castleton out. Kugel has also taken at least 12 shots in each of those contests and put up 33, 31, 34, and 26 DK in the past four. Even with an increased salary, Kugel is still a good play because of his new role. | ||||||
Also Consider:
- Jordan Hawkins – UConn (GPP)
- Gradey Dick – Kansas (Cash/GPP)
- Posh Alexander – St. John's (Cash/GPP)
- Jaren Holmes – Iowa State (GPP)
CBB DFS Value Guards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Bruce Thornton | OSU | IOWA | 5400 | 18.7 | ||
| Thornton was a great value for us yesterday when he scored 15 points and 25 DK. He’s still too cheap based on his new bigger offensive role. The freshman point guard is averaging 16.9 PPG over the past five games since Zed Key went out. He has double-digit shot attempts in all five with an uptick in usage rate. Now Thornton and Ohio St get a pace-boost vs Iowa? Lock and load! | ||||||
| Wooga Poplar | MIA | WAKE | 5000 | 17.19 | 5500 | 15.92 |
| If you want a cheap way to get a piece of this high-scoring Wake vs Miami game, then Poplar is a great salary-saver. He’s averaging 19 DK over the past 10 games with at least 21 DK in five of the last eight, including against Wake last month. He ended the regular season strong with 11 points/21 DK and 18 points/28 DK in the last two games. This is a great bargain on both sites. | ||||||
| Stevie Mitchell | MARQ | STJN | 4900 | 15.94 | ||
| Mitchell presents a really affordable way to get exposure to the slate’s highest total. He usually does just enough across all stat categories to return value and this uptempo matchup vs. St. John’s will give him plenty of opportunities. Mitchell had 25 and 20 DK vs St. John’s in the regular season with double-digit points scored in both. | ||||||
| David Singleton | UCLA | COL | 4800 | 17.63 | ||
| Singleton is one of the UCLA players who will now play a bigger role with Jaylen Clark out. He logged 31 minutes and scored 17 points with 20 DK last game vs Arizona after Clark went out early. Singleton started a handful of games in conference play when Amari Bailey was out, so a bigger role is nothing new for him. Will McClendon and David Andrews are also GPP darts at the min DK price. | ||||||
| Daivien Williamson | WAKE | MIA | 4500 | 12.76 | 4700 | 11.60 |
| Williamson was a great value on yesterday’s slate with 17 points and 28 DK, including the game-winner. He’s now dropped 28, 15, and 23 DK over the past three games since taking on a bigger role with Damari Monsanto out. He’s taking a ton of three’s and has double-digit shot attempts in three straight. The guy shouldn’t be priced below 5k on either site and we’ll take it in a high-scoring matchup with Miami. | ||||||
| Julian Hammond III | COL | UCLA | 4400 | 12.75 | ||
| Hammond was a slam-dunk value for us yesterday with a team-high 21 points and 30 DK. Even with a price increase, Hammond is still an awesome bargain now that he’s Colorado’s starting point guard with KJ Simpson out. He’s now dropped 35 and 30 DK in the past two games with Simpson sidelined, taking double-digit shots in both. Even in a tough matchup vs UCLA, he’s too cheap to ignore. | ||||||
Also Consider:
- Tyrese Proctor – Duke (Cash)
- Payton Sandfort – Iowa (GPP)
- AJ Storr – St. John's (Cash)
- James White – Ole Miss (GPP)
- Sean McNeil – Ohio State (GPP)
- Ethan Wright – Colorado (Cash)
- Dale Bonner – Baylor (Cash/GPP)
CBB DFS Top Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Joel Soriano | STJN | MARQ | 9200 | 35.36 | ||
| Soriano continues to pump out double-doubles and anchor DFS cash lineups. It’s about as consistent as it gets with 30-40 DK a regular occurrence. The St. John’s big man was awesome yesterday with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 45 DK in the win over Butler. Expect another good game in a fast-paced, high-scoring contest vs Marquette, whom he had 33 and 43 DK against in the regular season. | ||||||
| Hunter Dickinson | MICH | RU | 9100 | 36.27 | 8600 | 33.81 |
| Michigan needs to string together wins in the Big Ten tournament to improve its bubble resume, so expect Dickinson to be leaned on heavily today. The Wolverines’ center has been smashing the DFS slate lately with 48, 61, and 56 DK in the past three games. He also had a double-double and 27 DK vs Rutgers the game prior. He’s averaging 19.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 40 DK over the past 10 games now and should post similar numbers or better today. | ||||||
| Norchad Omier | MIA | WAKE | 8500 | 32.75 | 8200 | 30.47 |
| Outside of two duds on the road at UNC and Clemson, Ormier has been pumping out 30-40 DK every time out in conference play. The Miami big is averaging a solid 14.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 31 DK over the past 10 games and offers a strong cash floor at his price tags today – especially in an uptempo matchup with Wake. He went for 17 points, eight rebounds, and 31 DK in this matchup not too long ago and should produce for us again. | ||||||
| Tolu Smith | MSST | UF | 8300 | 30.52 | 7600 | 28.45 |
| Smith should have his way inside today against a Florida frontcourt without Colin Castleton. Opposing bigs have had success against the Gators since Castleton went out and Smith should follow suit – especially as the focal point of the Mississippi State offense more often than not. The big man is averaging 17.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 33 DK over the past 10 games and offers a strong DFS floor in this matchup. | ||||||
| Tre Mitchell | WVU | KU | 6700 | 22.98 | ||
| If West Virginia wants to upset Kansas today, then it’ll need another big game from Mitchell. He was good yesterday in the win over Texas Tech with 17 points and 41 DK with a ton of ancillary stats. Mitchell tends to be up and down for DFS, but he does have at least 27 DK in four of the last five games. That includes his 20 points and 37 DK vs KU recently. The GPP upside is there to smash again and he’s priced a lot cheaper than other top forwards. | ||||||
Also Consider:
- Jalen Wilson – Kansas (Cash/GPP)
- Kyle Filipowski – Duke (GPP)
CBB DFS Value Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Bobi Klintman | WAKE | MIA | 6300 | 13.42 | 5400 | 12.63 |
| We’re putting Klintman in the value range because he’s still a tad underpriced compared to his current role for Wake and recent DFS production. The freshman big man has 34, 21, 22, and 35 DK in the last four games since entering the starting lineup. He was excellent vs Syracuse yesterday with 17 points, 11 boards, and 35 DK. Plus, Klintman had 12 rebounds and 26 DK vs Miami last month and can easily put up 30+ DFS points this time in a high-scoring contest. His FD price tag is especially cheap. | ||||||
| Jonas Aidoo | TENN | MISS | 5300 | 15.91 | ||
| Aidoo has played 30 minutes in back-to-back games since Zakai Zeigler went out. Though he had just 16 and 12 DK in those outings, the uptick in playing time is encouraging moving forward. Aidoo’s DFS floor was already a bit safer after starting the past seven games, but Zeigler’s absence has thrust him into more minutes now as Tennessee shuffles its rotation. | ||||||
| O'Mar Stanley | STJN | MARQ | 3600 | 10.78 | ||
| Stanley has started and played 30+ minutes in back-to-back games as the St. John’s rotation is shortened with Andre Curbelo and Rafael Pinzon currently out. He played a big role in the close loss against Marquette in the regular-season finale with 15 points, eight rebounds, and 27 DK. St. John’s will need his size again today to combat Oso Ighodaro and Olivier Maxence-Prosper, which should help him return value at a cheap sub-4k price. | ||||||
| Mac Etienne | UCLA | COL | 3000 | 4.84 | ||
| If you want a true dart throw in GPPs at the min price, roll out Etienne. The backup big man has been mentioned as a guy to get more playing time now with Jaylen Clark out if UCLA goes with bigger lineups. For what it’s worth, he did have 13 DK with slightly more minutes last game after Clark exited early. Don’t expect much, but a min price value always presents upside. | ||||||
Also Consider:
- Felix Okpara – Ohio State (GPP)
- Tarris Reed – Michigan (GPP)
- Tre King – Iowa State (Cash)
CBB DFS Core Plays
DraftKings Cash:
- Jordan Miller – Miami FL
- Tyger Campbell – UCLA
- Bruce Thornton – Ohio State
DraftKings GPP:
- Tyler Kolek – Marquette
- Riley Kugel – Florida
- Julian Hammond – Colorado
FanDuel Cash:
- Jordan Miller – Miami FL
- Hunter Dickinson – Michigan
- Bobi Klintman – Wake Forest
FanDuel GPP:
- Tolu Smith – Mississippi State
- Nijel Pack – Miami FL
- Daivien Williamson – Wake Forest
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