The college basketball slate for Monday, April 4, features a showdown for the National Championship of the 2022 NCAA Tournament and provides some great CBB DFS picks. This article will go over the top CBB picks for DraftKings and FanDuel fantasy college basketball lineups as well as the best plays from each price range. Don’t forget to visit the CBB DFS projections and Awesemo College Basketball pages.
March Madness National Championship CBB DFS Picks
NCAAB Picks Kansas vs. North Carolina
Kansas – 78.75 Implied Team Total
Favored by 4.5 points in a game with a 153-point total, Kansas has an elite 78.75-point team total. To get to the finals, Kansas knocked off a weaker field, including Creighton, Providence, Miami and Villanova. Now entering their toughest matchup, Kansas will face a unique challenge in North Carolina.
For DFS purposes, the conversation with Kansas begins with Big 12 player of the year Ochai Agbaji ($13,200). The second-most expensive player on the slate, Agbaji erupted for 21 points against Villanova in the Final Four. However, Agbaji isn’t quite as involved as other studs in this game. Agbaji has played 36, 34 and 36 minutes in Kansas’ last three games, which ranks behind most of the starters on North Carolina. He also relies more on his shot rate. Coming in at 23% on the year, this shot rate gives Agbaji a solid ceiling. However, his poor peripheral involvement reduces his floor.
Behind Agbaji, Christian Braun ($12,300) and Jalen Wilson ($11,400) are slightly cheaper here. Braun has played 33, 36 and 36 minutes over Kansas’ last three games. However, his usage continues to decline as Wilson continues to take on an increased role. Braun has only contributed a 13.7% shot rate, 17.3% rebound rate and 25.6% assist rate over Kansas last three games. Conversely, Wilson notched a 20.8% shot rate, 30.9% rebound rate and 18.6% assist rate in that same span. Wilson has also played 37, 31 and 38 minutes over the last three after playing a less involved role earlier this year. Braun comes in significantly overpriced, while Wilson is one of the best value plays on the team.
One of the biggest wildcards on this slate, David McCormack ($8,700) enters this slate fresh off a 25-point outing against Villanova. As volatile as they come, McCormack has now played 29, 18 and 23 minutes over the last three games, contributing a 14.3% shot rate, 13.6% rebound rate and 2.3% assist rate. On top of his lackluster role and volatile minutes, North Carolina excels in drawing fouls. McCormack runs the risk of playing a reduced role against a more athletic North Carolina frontcourt that likes to use ball screens. Speaking of volatile plays, Remy Martin ($9,900) has also become a pure boom-bust play in the NCAA Tournament. Coming off the bench, Martin has 21, 24 and 27 minutes in Kansas’ last three games. Martin also has the second-highest usage rate and a 16.1% shot rate, 16.4% rebound rate and 16.3% assist rate over the last three games. Capable of being exploited by larger opponents, Martin still doesn’t have the minute consistency to play in low-risk contests at this price.
As for value pieces, Kansas plays a wider rotation than North Carolina. Splitting time with Martin, but still starting, Dajuan Harris ($6,000) continues to be underpriced. A better defender than Martin, Harris has played the most consistent minutes of late. In Kansas’ last three games, Martin logged 30, 26 and 20 minutes for the Jayhawks. Basically contributing only a 27.1% assist rate, Harris’ price keeps him in play here. The last player to mention in the value tier, Mitch Lightfoot ($5,400) will also play rotational minutes in the frontcourt. Lightfoot has 9, 17 and 16 minutes over Kansas’ last three games. He directly benefits when McCormack or Wilson get into foul trouble. That did not happen against a diminutive Villanova team. However, North Carolina draws far more fouls making Lightfoot an intriguing value piece with upside here.
North Carolina – 74.25 Implied Team Total
On the other side of this game, North Carolina ran through Marquette, Baylor, UCLA, Saint Peter’s and Duke to reach the National Championship. While North Carolina enters this game as the underdog, the Tar Heels play a tighter rotation.
Leading the team, Armando Bacot ($15,300) is the most expensive player on the slate by a wide margin. A walking double-double, Bacot still projects as one of the top price-adjusted plays at full minutes. He did suffer an ankle injury towards the end of the Final Four, but all reports indicate that he will play here. Over North Carolina’s last three games, Bacot has 32, 35 and 31 minutes with an 18.3% shot rate, 43.9% rebound rate and 9.1% assist rate. Even at this hefty price tag, Bacot is an elite price-adjusted play.
Just below Bacot, Brady Manek ($12,900), R.J. Davis ($10,800) and Caleb Love ($10,500) all are excellent plays. Every player in this group has played at least 37 minutes in three straight games. Manek has the highest double-double equity here with a 17.8% shot rate and 15.2% rebound rate over the last three games. Love looks like the top price-adjusted value on the slate. He leads North Carolina with a 19.1% usage rate, while contributing a 31.9% shot rate and 27.3% assist rate over the last three games. Davis projects below Love, but he still adds an 18.3% shot rate, 13.6% rebound rate and 30.3% assist rate himself. All three players in this range provide elite floor/ceiling combos.
As for value plays, Leaky Black ($7,800) holds down the fifth starting position for the Tar Heels. On the floor primarily for his defense, Black’s lackluster offensive role features a 17.8% assist rate. Still, Black will play almost every minute here. Black lacks the upside of Lightfoot or Harris, but his minute consistency gives him a better overall floor. Outside of Black, North Carolina will only play Puff Johnson ($1,800) and Dontrez Styles ($1,500) for a handful of minutes. Each of those players can only be used in the largest of GPPs.
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