Conference college basketball, Round 2! Following a slate of entertaining games last night, we’re back for another DFS CBB tilt of competitive matchups with a few Top 25 programs in action and some high-scoring, close games to follow along.

As conference play gets underway, there’s a couple things to keep in mind as teams will be in closer, more competitive games. When teams are in one- or two-possession games against familiar opponents, they tend to lean on their best pure scorers for buckets nearly every trip down the floor. If there’s a clear-cut No. 1 option (see Carsen Edwards), you can expect higher usage than normal for that player.

Also, conference action usually helps playing time become a lot clearer for starters and bench players. Coaches really begin to narrow their core rotations down to where DFS plays become easier to decipher.

DraftKings has a 9-game slate with the first four games tipping at 7 pm ET and the latest at 11 ET (Stanford @ UCLA). As we did yesterday, we’re just focusing on DraftKings’ larger slate for this playbook because of the number of teams to break down. Take note, though, that FanDuel’s slate is only five games and includes two matchups not available on DK (Illinois @ Indiana; Utah @ Arizona State).

As always, with a particular focus on KenPom’s advanced metrics and recent game trends, we’ll point out the teams to target as a whole before breaking down the guards and forwards to prioritize in your DFS lineups today. The point spreads and over/under’s below are based on KenPom’s predictions for that matchup.

If you have any questions or comments on the day’s slate or anything college basketball-related, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @dan_servodidio or in the Fantasy Alarm CBB chat room.

Games To Target

  • North Carolina State @ Miami (FL) - 7 pm ET (NCST -3; 157 implied total)

  • Iowa @ Purdue - 7 pm ET (PUR -7; 151 implied total)

  • Wichita State @ Memphis - 9:30 pm ET (MEM -5; 155 implied total)

Games to Fade

  • Penn State @ Michigan - 7 pm ET (MICH -11; 125 implied total)

  • Marshall @ Old Dominion - 7 pm ET (ODU -8; 142 implied total)

Guards

Carsen Edwards - ($10,100) - Yes, Edwards is the most expensive guard on the slate (and second-highest behind Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ). But this is the type of player you’ll definitely want shares of no matter how pricey he is. Edwards dominates so much of Purdue’s offensive output - his ball usage and shots share on the team are both top 6 nationally - and will surely have the ball in his hands for much of the second half if this game stays close. This high usage from one player is just something you don’t see from power programs (besides Ethan Happ, again). Edwards has the potential to score 25-30 real points in any game with the high number of shots he takes.

Chris Lykes - MIA ($7,300) - As Miami’s best pure scorer and offensive playmaker, Lykes will likely be the guy with the ball in his hands late in games as conference play gets underway. Lykes has that going for him as the go-to option for Miami - who KenPom predicts will score 77 points but lose by three at home to an NC State team that runs at the 12th-fastest pace in the country. Miami has other talented guards, but none like Lykes who is, what college basketball heads call, “a walking bucket” because he can always create his own shot, get to the free-throw line and has potential to score 20 real points nightly.

Daejon Davis - STAN ($6,800) - Davis has been outstanding offensively and Stanford’s leading scorer over his last five games. During that stretch, the sophomore is averaging 17.6 real points and 33.5 DK points - both numbers noticeably up from his 11.8 and 24.8 averages on the season, respectively. Davis has also been pretty efficient from the field in those five games, shooting 55.3% on 56 shot attempts. If he continues this hot scoring trend, expect Davis to possibly 5x his salary tonight.

Brandon Randolph - AZ ($6,600) - Randolph may be the safest play at guard on tonight’s slate. He’s put up 20 or more DK points and scored 14 or more real points in each of the last nine games. The shot volume and usage will certainly be there as he leads Arizona this season in possession usage and percentage of shots taken, per KenPom’s ratings. His ceiling is not particularly high, but expect 25-30 DK points in a pace-up game at home vs. Colorado.

Braxton Beverly - NCST ($4,500) - Trying to figure out North Carolina State’s rotations has been a guessing game lately, but Beverly has started seven of the last eight games and remains a value play tonight at this price point. In the last four outings, Beverly has three games of 13+ real points and 20+ DK points as he’s becoming more involved offensively. The sophomore made 71.4% of his 14 3-pointers during those three games - notably more efficient than his season-long 40.7% mark from deep. In what should be a back-and-forth game dominated by guard play, Beverly can easily get 20 DK points again to return value.

Other Guards to Consider:

  • Jaylen Hands, UCLA ($7,500)

  • Devon Daniels, NCST ($5,700)

  • Nojel Eastern - PUR ($4,500)

  • Isaiah Moss - IOWA ($4,400)

 

Forwards

Tyler Cook - IOWA ($8,700) - With Luka Garza a game-time decision for tonight’s game, Cook could be in a smash spot if his teammate sits. Even if Garza plays, Cook has 40 DK point upside - a mark he’s hit five times in the last 10 games. The matchups is also a favorable one as this matchup with Purdue should be higher-paced with tons of opportunities for rebounds for Cook. Also, Purdue is currently moving their rotations around and trying to figure out their center and forward positions. Cook, though, plays about 35 minutes and his usage will increase a ton if Garza is out.

Tyler Bey - COLO ($7,500) - He’s just a beast, to be blunt. Bey has real 40 DK point upside - as he did in three straight back in December - and is a near-lock for a double-double (five of the last seven games). Arizona has a couple decent forwards to challenge Bey down low, but he’s proven he’s close to matchup-proof with a nose for the ball on missed shots. He can easily 5x this salary tonight with his rebounding upside.

Moses Brown - UCLA ($7,300) - The 7’1” freshman really hasn’t lived up to his preseason hype, but the athleticism and potential for dominance in the paint is real. It will be interesting to see how UCLA plays in its first game without Steve Alford, and how rotations and playing time shakes out. Brown could be the biggest beneficiary of the coaching change, though, because one of the biggest criticisms of Alford was his usage and development (or lack thereof)  of his highly-rated recruit.

Aaron Carver - ODU ($4,000) - Although this Marshall-Old Dominion game is one we want to fade overall, as noted above, Carver provides some interesting value tonight at forward. The junior is coming off his best game of his career against lowly Morgan State - 10 points, 20 rebounds, three blocks, three steals, two assists to give him 50 DK points. Now we’re not expecting 50 from him again tonight, but he does have a few things going for him. In that breakout game, Carver benefited from his teammate B.J. Stith (shoulder) only playing nine minutes. With Stith questionable to play tonight, Carver could see extended minutes once again. Plus, Marshall is one of the worst rebounding teams with not a ton of size at the power forward position - where Carver plays the majority of his minutes.

Other Forwards to Consider:

  • Markis McDuffie - WICH ($7,600)

  • Nicholas Baer - IOWA ($5,300) - If Luka Garza sits for Iowa

  • Cody Riley - UCLA ($4,700)

 

Example Lineup on DraftKings:

G: Chris Lykes, MIA ($7,300)

G: Brandon Randolph, AZ ($6,600)

G: Braxton Beverly, NCST ($4,500)

F: Tyler Cook, IOWA ($8,700)

F: Tyler Bey, COLO ($7,500)

F: Aaron Carver, ODU ($4,000)

U: Daejon Davis, STAN ($6,800)

U: Nojel Eastern, PUR ($4,400)