This article is part of our DraftKings College Basketball series.
Welcome to another Saturday of college basketball at DraftKings, NCAA Tournament style. Your total available salary is $50,000 to build your best squad of eight players, which includes three guards, three forwards and two FLEX. Points are awarded on DraftKings as follows:
Point = +1 point PT
Made 3pt. shot = +0.5 PTs
Rebound = +1.25 PTs
Assist = +1.5 PTs
Double-Double = +1.5 PTs
Triple-Double= +3 PTs
With that out of the way, here are the best available GPP contests for college basketball this Saturday:
$18K Full Court Press ($2,500 first prize), Entry Fee: $27
$15K Triple Threat ($4,000 first prize), Entry Fee: $300
$14K Buzzer Beater ($1,000 first prize), Entry Fee: $3
and many more…
Here's a look at the included games:
UAB vs UCLA
Cincinnati vs Kentucky
Ohio State vs Arizona
Georgia State vs Xavier
NC State vs Villanova
Utah vs Georgetown
Arkansas vs North Carolina
Butler vs Notre Dame
The tournament is in full swing and it's time to decide who moves onto the Sweet Sixteen. Upsets are brewing and the unthinkable is common, and the games only get better. Pace makes the race, and following the tempo of a game leads to the FPT output. Arkansas and North Carolina are the two highest-tempo teams remaining in the tournament, and they meet in what should prove to be a big night for fantasy points. The next highest tempo team playing Saturday is Arizona, and they are several possessions behind the Tar Heels and the Razorbacks. Before we even get into player recommendations, any player from either the Tar Heels or Razorbacks could turn in a big performance; feel safe going any direction within those games. For the same reasons, it's hard to recommend players in the Kentucky vs Cincinnati game and the Utah vs Georgetown game.
Guards:
Marcus Paige, North Carolina ($8,100)
I will be putting forth players from UNC and Arkansas liberally, and Paige is the first of many. He's UNC's go-to man when they need a bucket and he's been getting better and healthier with every appearance.
Michael Qualls, Arkansas ($7,600)
Despite coming off the bench, Qualls is potent and explosive. He'll get starter's minutes and will be able to flash his tremendous athleticism against the running Tar Heels.
Justin Jackson, North Carolina ($5,600)
Jackson gets better with every outing, and best of all, he's found his shot. The guard is 6-foot-8 and near impossible to guard successfully on the perimeter. When he gets hot shooting, he's capable of doing very big things.
T.J. McConnell, Arizona ($7,800)
He didn't have to do much but spread the ball in Arizona's blowout first round victory. Ohio State will present more of a challenge, which McConnell strives on. The closer the game, the better, as McConnell will fight for rebounds, deliver assists, and take his shot when they're open. He opposes possibly the best point guard in the tournament in D'Angelo Russell, but thankfully guarding him will be the job of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, letting McConnell fresh to lead the offense.
Shannon Scott, Ohio State ($7,100)
The senior guard is stepping up, showing how much he doesn't want his last collegiate season to end. He can be cold from the field, but he is capable of very big numbers when he makes his shots and reaches large assist numbers.
Robert Brown, UAB ($6,900)
Brown showed up with a good FPT performance Thursday as his team upset Iowa State, but he only shot 36.8 percent from the field and is capable of doing many better things against UCLA.
Kevin Ware, Georgia State ($4,700)
No shame in not scoring huge numbers against the Baylor Bears, but Xavier is a much easier defensive side and Ware reached over 20 fantasy points in the last two games of the conference tournament.
Ryann Green, Georgia State ($3,800)
Green has benefitted from an injury to teammate Ryan Harrow, which has led to big minutes. Green's 19.75 FPTs in the first round would be a welcome score Saturday.
Josh Hart, Villanova ($5,500)
Hart has been tremendous off the bench this season. He scores, rebounds, passes a few dimes. He may be Villanova's sixth man (and the Big East Sixth Man of the Year Award winner), but he's much better than their sixth-best player.
Forwards:
Bobby Portis, Arkansas ($9,200)
Portis may have struggled against Kentucky, but who doesn't? He handled Wofford with ease in what was a relatively low-scoring game. North Carolina is big and good on the boards, but Portis has proven he can handle that. LSU's Jordan Micky and Jarell Martin couldn't prevent him from 47.25 FPTs.
Brice Johnson, North Carolina ($7,500)
Johnson got in foul trouble and saw just 22 minutes in the first round against Harvard. He'll be closer to 30 minutes and will look to shine on both the boards and scoring baskets.
J.P. Tokoto, North Carolina ($6,300)
Tokoto is as athletic as they come and will thrive on the fast pace this game presumes to take. He's a primo defender that can jump through the roof and contributes to his Tar Heels across every category, actually leading the team in assists.
Alandise Harris, Arkansas ($4,900)
Harris is the other forward when compared to Portis, but he's effective in taking extra production left over by all the pressure Portis absorbs. He'll get some rebounds, make some baskets, and have plenty of court time as Arkansas will need to play a larger lineup to matchup with the Tar Heels.
Stanley Johnson, Arizona ($7,700)
Johnson is the best young player on the Arizona team, takes the most shots, and is the most able to get the shot he wants. He's terribly hard to guard, and with the price discrepancy and the easier side of the matchup leads me to favor this freshman over the possibly more talented freshman on the other side of the ball.
Jae'Sean Tate, Ohio State ($5,100)
Tate sees minutes when the goings tough, and Arizona constitutes tough goings. He's can make some baskets, but his Buckeyes will really need him to perform well on the boards against the larger and better rebounding Wildcats.
William Lee, UAB ($5,900)
Lee came up huge in his team's upset of Iowa State with an impressive 14 points and 12 rebounds. He's proven to be capable of such performances and will look to carry that form into Saturday's game against the Bruins.
Markus Crider, Georgia State ($6,000)
Crider is a fantastic rebounder and plays nearly 40 minutes every game. He only managed five rebounds against one of the best rebounding teams in the nation in Baylor, but Xavier no such animal. Crider has double-double capabilities.
Daniel Ochefu, Villanova ($6,800)
In a game of guards, why not take the very best big man? Both teams consist of very talented guards, so maybe they neutralize each other and Ochefu has the matchup advantage on NC State.
Kameron Woods, Butler ($6,500)
Woods is a magnificent rebounder; managing to get nine against the size of Texas is a tall task. Notre Dame is poor in the size department, and Woods should get his hands on a lot of rebounds, hopefully a few on the offensive side that lead to some buckets. He's very high percentage when he get the ball in his range (which is layups and dunks).
