This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
It was another 2-for-3 night on Wednesday, as we hit our two players in the Michigan-Oklahoma game, but somehow PJ Haggerty of Memphis ended up with 27 points, five boards and five assists despite the fact his team had just 64 points in a two-point win in Virginia. It serves me right, as I constantly talk about how I prefer to pick the Over, rather than pick the Under and cheer against a kid. Sometimes the Under looks too good, and that's the case again on tonight's slate.
On Thursday, I am so excited about the slate of games available. UC Irvine at Belmont, Lipscomb at Middle Tennessee and Merrimack at Saint Mary's. These are the games I love to watch, for entertainment purposes only, of course. All three of the games can be viewed or streamed on ESPN+.
If you're unfamiliar with how to play, you must simply choose at least two players from any sport and pick more or less on their projected statistics to win. We'll obviously be exclusively selecting college hoops players, but you can mix and match from various other sports. You can also go with a flex play, meaning you still can have a winning night even if you have one losing selection. Or, you can go big and choose the power play, which pays out higher. However, you must hit all ends to win. Let's get started.
Jacob Ognacevic, F, Lipscomb
Ognacevic has a rather high combined number of Pts+Rebs+Asts in Thursday's game against Middle Tennessee at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Blue Raiders allow 70.7 PPG, which is rather middle of the road. However, Middle Tennessee is pretty decent in defensive field-goal percentage, allowing teams to hit just 40.5 percent, while it ranks third in the nation by allowing just 24.6 percent from behind the 3-point line.
Ognacevic has managed 16.7 PPG in the past three games since getting into foul trouble in a game at Alabama A&M on Nov. 30. However, Ognacevic has three or fewer assists in each of his past seven outings, including none last time out. The concern is his rebound number, as he has 6.7 RPG in the previous six outings, and he has hit double digits on two occasions. With MTSU's defense, though, we'll go low on his totals and hold our breath.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Jacob Ognacevic, Under 24.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
Bent Leuchten, C, UC Irvine
The UC Irvine Anteaters took their first loss of the season last time out at Oregon State, splashing a little bit of cold water on their red-hot start. Leuchten had a terrible showing, going for just six points while hitting 2-of-7 from the field, which was a season low.
Leuchten and the Anteaters should both be able to come alive against a Belmont team which has been very good offensively, but awful defensively. The Bruins allow 77.8 points, while teams are hitting 45.7 percent against Belmont from the field. The opposition is also good for 36.7 percent from behind the 3-point line, so UC Irvine should be able to bounce back rather nicely after going for just 55 points in Corvallis.
Leuchten is averaging 14.4 PPG this season, and he once dropped 29 on Weber State on Nov. 22. He isn't much of a 3-point shooter, although he'll one occasionally. But, look for the 7-foot-1 Dachau, Germany native to have his way in the paint against the defensively-challenged Bruins.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Bent Leuchten, Over 14.5 Points
Augustas Marciulionis, G, Saint Mary's
The Gaels welcome the Warriors of Merrimack from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), a very underrated mid-tier basketball conference.
The Warriors aren't too shabby defensively, allowing just 67.3 points per game, while teams are hitting 41.5 percent from the field. However, Merrimack is middle of the road defending against the 3-pointer, allowing teams to hit 32.7 percent, and that's where Marciulionis will get busy.
The senior from Vilnius, Lithuania has been in a long-distance shooting slump lately, going just 4-for-19 across the past five outings since the Acrisure Classic on Nov. 28. However, this is a guy who has multiple triples in three of his first six games, including three triples against Chattanooga on Nov. 7. When his shot is falling, Marciulionis can fill up the stat sheet in quick fashion. He should be able to get the 3-pointer going finally.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Augustas Marciulionis, Over 13 Points
Thursday's College Basketball PrizePicks Selections
Here's a recap of my best college basketball selections for Thursday:
- Jacob Ognacevic, Lipscomb, Under 24.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
- Bent Leuchten, UC Irvine, Over 14.5 Points
- Augustas Marciulionis, Saint Mary's, Over 13 Points
For additional recommendations for PrizePicks and other similar sites, check out our College Basketball Picks page.
For more fantasy college hoops content, be sure to check out features like our college basketball injury report, college basketball depth charts and latest college basketball news.
