Bryan Armetta picks three men’s college basketball player props to back for Friday’s March Madness slate.
March Madness continues on Friday with a fresh slate of NCAA Tournament games. Several high-profile programs are set to tip off, including Alabama, Duke and Florida. With 32 teams taking the court, the options for college basketball bettors are endless. Ahead of today’s action, here are my three favorite college basketball props on DraftKings Sportsbook.
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If any double-digit seed has Sweet Sixteen upside, it’s Colorado State. The Rams (25-9) have reeled off ten straight wins, culminating in a Mountain West Conference title. What makes this group so dangerous? Several reasons, none more so than the exceptional play of Nique Clifford. The senior leads CSU in points (19.0 PPG), rebounds (9.7 RPG) and assists (4.4 APG). A Memphis back court likely without Tyrese Hunter (foot) will have a difficult time containing such a dangerous player.
Memphis is one of the better teams in the country, but they struggle to defend against passes. Per KenPom, the Tigers have allowed an assist percentage of 54.1%, 236th in the nation. Obviously, Clifford is more of a scorer. Still, the guard is not opposed to finding his teammates. The 23-year-old has recorded at least five assists in 17 of his 34 outings this season (50.0%). That trend should continue on Friday in a potential afternoon upset.
One of the more intriguing matchups on tap tonight is a 7 vs. 10 battle between Marquette and New Mexico. While the Lobos failed to win the Mountain West Conference, this is still a tough out. Head coach Richard Pitino’s team dominates the glass, ranking 20th in rebounds per game (39.3). It all starts with starting center Nelly Junior Joseph down low. The big man from Benin leads UNM with an eye-popping 11.2 boards per game.
Joseph will have a golden opportunity on Friday against a Marquette squad that struggles to box out. This season, teams have snagged 35.9 boards per game against the Golden Eagles. That’s only good enough for 260th in the nation. Nelly has grabbed at least 13 rebounds in nine of his last 14 appearances. With that in mind, it’s difficult to imagine that changing tonight against an undersized opponent.
UConn will begin its quest for a three-peat against Oklahoma on Friday. It’s been an up-and-down season for the Huskies, who enter March Madness as only an 8 seed. Still, head coach Dan Hurley has plenty of experienced, title-winning players in his rotation. That includes two-time champion Hassan Diarra. Through 33 games, the guard has averaged 7.9 points and a team-leading 5.8 assists per game.
Diarra is known more as a distributor, but this is the perfect spot to back him as a scorer. Oklahoma is an offensively-minded team, often struggling on the other end of the floor. This season, the Sooners have surrendered 74.8 points per game (268th in the nation). When playing at least 30 minutes, Diarra has scored eight or more points in nine of his 14 outings. The senior should stay on the floor long enough to clear this modest line tonight.
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