This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
In the first weekend of December, we get a lot of conference matchups. I'm pinch-hitting for Chris Bennett this weekend, though I play other DFS college hoops games almost every day.
We have a few marquee games on the slate for Saturday, such as Wisconsin-Marquette and Kentucky-Gonzaga. Those matchups are expected to be high-scoring, so we'll key on players from both on DraftKings. In fact, Kentucky-Gonzaga lists a total of 166.5, so expect some big-time offensive totals from that battle in Seattle.
Top Players
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Mitchell Saxen, C, Saint Mary's ($8,300)
Saxen doesn't list a huge valuation and should be able to beat salary expectations in Utah against a team with a 163rd OPRK. He's coming off a double-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting night against UTSA last time out. The Utes offer a pretty strong defense, so this play comes with some risk. But when the Gaels score, it's likely to be inside and not along the perimeter. Expect Saxen to be a huge part of that effort.
Nique Clifford, G, Colorado State ($9,000)
The Rams hit the road to battle rival Colorado with a modest total of 140.5 points. Clifford has produced at least 12 points with seven or more rebounds in every game this season. While that's all well and good, he's kicked things into high gear during the last two against TCU and Loyola Marymount averaging 22.0 PPG, 14.5 RPG, and 6.0 APG. He's also averaging a double-double in all eight outings and may be one of the most underrated players in the nation.
Middle Tier
Lawson Lovering, F, Utah ($6,000)
Lovering will be appearing in only his third game back after a lengthy rehab from an ankle injury. The 7-foot-1 senior center is a frontcourt force for the Utes and tremendously efficient with his shot so far by going 12-of-16 from the field. He's averaged 14.0 PPG with 7.5 RPG through the first two while swatting three shots against Eastern Washington across 27 minutes a week ago. The one drawback with Lovering is his poor free-throwing shooting as he was just 2-of-8 at the charity stripe versus EWU. Other than that, there isn't much to dislike.
Otega Oweh, G, Kentucky ($6,800)
Oweh doesn't post flashy totals, but he's extremely consistent - especially in terms of scoring. He also surprised last time out with seven rebounds against Clemson in an SEC/ACC challenge game. If you look at Kentucky-Gonzaga, Oweh is a much better value than Ryan Nembhard ($8,000) of the Zags or teammate Lamont Butler ($6,900) - with the latter being a little more dependent on perimeter offense. While it isn't a huge part of Oweh's game, don't expect much in the way of 3-pointers as Gonzaga limits teams to 24.5 percent from behind the arc. Oweh will be front-and-center of a Kentucky offense in a matchup expected to be high-scoring with a projected total of 166.5.
Value Plays
Dontrez Styles, G/F, NC State ($5,800)
In the afternoon window, Styles is an attractive target in this ACC battle in Raleigh. FSU lists an OPRK of 186th, so he offers a solid chance of exceeding expectations Saturday. Styles heads into this matchup with plenty of confidence after posting a season-best 17 points against Texas in the SEC/ACC Challenge while adding three triples and five on 20 overall attempts. He's also a cheap source of blocked shots with two or more from five of eight outings.
Andrew Rohde, G, Virginia ($4,900)
Rohde is a must-have in the early window during the ACC opener against SMU. The Mustangs have allowed teams to go for 71.9 PPG while conceding 33.6 percent from behind the 3-point line. Rohde will be looking to bounce back from an awful performance at Florida in an 18-point loss at the SEC/ACC Challenge. Prior to that, he had hit 14-of-21 from the field while averaging 12.7 PPG with 2.0 APG, 1.7 RPG, 1.7 SPG and 1.7 3-pointers. If Rohde can simply get back to those type numbers against the Mustangs, he'll more than exceed salary expectations.
