This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
The holiday season has no shortage of exciting college basketball matchups. DraftKing's featured slate for Tuesday includes seven games, six of which are intraconference battles. The ACC and Big East are the most heavily represented, with a head-to-head between No. 6 Virginia and No. 22 Miami headlining the day. At this point in the season, we get to see if surprise teams like UConn are here to stay, or just a flash in the pan. Whatever you're interested in, there are plenty potential DFS winnings to go around, so let's look at my favorite picks.
Top Tier:
Filipowski has been Duke's standout player this season, outshining high-profile freshmen like Dariq Whitehead and Dereck Lively. The 7-foot center should have a favorable mismatch inside against Georgetown. Qudus Wahab, the Hoyas' starting center, only averages 0.6 blocks. Given that Filipowski leads the team with a 29.2 usage percentage and nearly averages a double-double with 14.8 points and 9.2 rebounds, his price tag being outside the top three for Tuesday's slate is good value. Finally, the combination of Georgetown ranking 42nd in pace and Duke being fifth in offensive efficiency makes for a good potential for this game to produce some high DFS scores.
Souley Boum, G, Xavier ($8,400)
Boum leads Xavier in points per game at 17.9 and minutes at 32.6. While his usage percentage is unimpressive at 21.5 percent, he is the team's starting point guard. The UTEP transfer is scorching the nets from deep, shooting 54.0 percent on 4.2 three-point attempts per game. Boum also attempts 5.7 free throws per game, giving him a nice floor for his scoring. Considering the over/under for this game is 143, Xavier's leading scorer is in a prime position to continue his strong season.
Middle Tier:
Donovan Clingan, C, UConn ($7,100)
Clingan is probably my favorite pick of the night, as although he's a little expensive for the middle tier, we should've saved some money by avoiding the most expensive players. UConn is a 22.5-point favorite with a lofty expected score of 85.25. This is perfect for the standout freshman, as he comes off the bench for the Huskies and should see plenty of action Tuesday. The 7-foot-2 center is averaging 9.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in just 14.6 minutes across 12 games this season. Clingan will likely be able to play extended minutes and feast on Georgetown's second-stringers.
Nelly Cummings, G, Pittsburgh ($5,900)
After spending a bit more on Clingan, Cummings is on the cheaper side for the Middle Tier. However, he has plenty of upside, being the team's primary playmaker. The senior guard has played at least 30 minutes in each of his last five games. Despite being underdogs, Pittsburgh has an opportunity to put up substantial points on a Syracuse squad that ranks 246th in defensive efficiency. Cummings is unlikely to post an eye-popping stat line, but he has a good chance to score in the double-digits while dishing out around five dimes.
Value Tier
David Joplin, F, Marquette ($5,100)
As we get to the value tier, we're looking for players with a high probability of not putting up duds with the ability to be prolific. Marquette ranks 36th in pace, giving the game a nice over/under of 149.5. While the sophomore forward comes off the bench, his 26.6 usage percentage in 18.6 minutes has allowed him to average 10.3 points this season. He is also an efficient shooter, converting on 45.5 percent of 4.6 three-point attempts. Hopefully, Joplin can replicate some of his earlier-season performances, like when he tallied 21 points and nine rebounds against Purdue.
Kowacie Reeves, G, Florida ($3,600)
It's rare to snag a potential starter scoring over 10 points per game for less than $4,000 on DraftKings, but that is exactly what you'll get with Reeves. The sophomore guard has started in seven of his nine appearances this season and is averaging 10.4 points, scoring double figures in five of his nine contests. Of the five players who receive the most minutes for Florida, Reeves ranks second with a 21.2 usage percentage. He continues our theme of efficient outside shooters, converting on 45.0 percent of his 4.4 three-point attempts. His selection at this price is an excellent value that everyone should take advantage of.
