It used to be that you could look at the college basketball scoreboard and keep scrolling endlessly. As the season comes closer to its end, that scroll becomes shorter. We are down to the second to the last day of conference tournament play and there aren't many games remaining. While the quantity may be lacking, the quality is there.
College Basketball DFS Picks for Saturday, March 14
We have conference tournament finals and semifinals. The biggest injury news is that UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau injured his knee last night in the win over Michigan State. The Bruins relied on their excellent backcourt to make their way to a Saturday matchup against Purdue. If Bilodeau can't play, how will that affect the Bruin rotation? You might look at Boilermaker forwards such as Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn to add to your lineup.
Want to see how recent injuries might affect the top DFS plays in college basketball? Head to RotoWire's latest college basketball injury news page or follow @RotoWireCBB on X.
The early slate also Ole Miss has looking to slip into the role of Cinderella. The Rebels opened the SEC Tournament as the 15-seed, and they have knocked out Texas, Georgia and Alabama in three days. Mississippi only won four games in regular season conference play. Can they equal that total by knocking off coach John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday?
College Basketball DFS Top Players
Nick Boyd, G, Wisconsin ($8,700)
Ride the hot hand! Boyd is coming off a career-high 38 points in the win over Illinois and will face a similarly large hurdle on Saturday against Michigan. The 6-foot-3 senior has scored 30 points three times this season and is averaging 20.8 points on 48.7 percent from the field with 3.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Coach Greg Gard will put the ball in his hands often and he will likely not come to the bench after playing 40 minutes against the Illini. Boyd had 22 points and six assists in the upset win over Michigan on Jan. 10.
Thomas Haugh, F, Florida ($8,400)
Florida has separated itself from the rest of the SEC. The team has won 12 straight games and only the last two wins were by fewer than 10 points. Their starting five, including Haugh, is unassailable, particularly with the guards playing better. Haugh had a quiet game in the win over Kentucky on Friday, but he generally bounces back with a solid game after a mediocre one. He had 18 points, eight rebounds and two assists in the Jan. 17 win against Vanderbilt.
Derek Simpson, G, St. Joseph's ($7,500)
Simpson is the kind of do-it-all guard who has triple-double potential. The 6-foot-3 senior, who spent two seasons at Rutgers, is averaging 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists. He has four double-doubles -- three with assists and one with rebounds. When the Hawks were beaten by VCU on Jan. 19, Simpsons had a season-high 27 points. Since that game, Simpson has averaged 15.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists as St. Joe's has gone 12-2.
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Middle Tier
Joseph Pinion, G, South Florida ($6,900)
The Bulls have bigger names in American Conference Player of the Year Izaiyah Nelson and Wes Enis, son of football star Curtis. The 6-foot-5 Pinion has equaled Enis with a school-record 100 3-pointers, and he can contribute in more ways than his backcourt mate. On the season, Pinion is averaging 14.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists. The Bulls have been off since last Sunday when Pinion scored 22 points against Charlotte.
Dezayne Mingo, G, Charlotte ($6,900)
Ride the hot hand, part two! Mingo has been the most productive player in the American Conference Tournament through its early rounds. He nearly had a triple-double in the win over Tulane with 19 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists. The 6-foot-4 senior followed that up with a career-high 35 points as the 49ers knocked out UAB. South Florida limited Mingo to nine points and four assists last Sunday in the regular season finale, but we are going to the high upside of his recent play.
AJ Storr, G, Mississippi ($6,800)
It would be easy to discount Ole Miss since their regular season track record did not point to this kind of postseason success. Coach Chris Beard has his ways. The 6-foot-5 Storr started the first 14 games of the season, but he has had success as a microwave scorer off the bench. Since Jan. 7, the guard has averaged 18.1 points on 45.4 percent from the field. He had 12 points in 19 minutes in the loss to Arkansas on Jan. 7 in his first game as a non-starter.
Want to see how recent injuries might affect the top DFS plays in college basketball? Head to RotoWire's latest college basketball injury news page or follow @RotoWireCBB on X.
College Basketball DFS Value Plays
Barry Evans, F, VCU ($4,800)
Evans is the high-floor, low-ceiling play that can fill a nice hole in a DraftKings lineup. The 6-foot-8 senior is not a ball hog, and he has not taken more than eight shots in his last 16 games. He is effective on the boards and is second on the team with 5.1 rebounds. When the Rams beat St. Joe's on Jan. 17, Evans contributed seven points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. These are not eye-popping numbers, but he can contribute in a multitude of small ways to finish with nice numbers.
C.J. Cox, G, Purdue ($4,200)
Cox has been scuffling along which has driven his DraftKings salary down to a manageable level. In his last three games, the 6-foot-3 sophomore has only hit 31.3 percent of his 3-pointers on his way to a combined 22 points. We know he is capable of treys, and he may find some openings on Saturday against UCLA. Cox had one of his better games of the season in the Jan. 20 win over the Bruins. He accumulated 16 points, five rebounds and a season-high four assists.
Brandon Williams, F, UCLA ($3,100)
The Bilodeau injury will have repercussions throughout both lineups if the Bruins forward can't go, or if he is even limited, against Purdue. On Friday, Williams came off the bench to play 19 minutes. He provided nine points, four boards and three steals. The 6-foot-7 forward gives the UCLA lineup a different look and may have an impact against the Boilermakers. He only played five minutes in the Jan. 20 win over the Bruins, so he could be a surprise factor.
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