This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
The 2024-25 college basketball regular season is here, and we'll provide PrizePicks selections for the opening slate. A lot of teams have shuffled the deck either through the transfer portal or traditional recruiting process, but we have a pretty decent amount of stars who elected to stay put, too.
Let's take a deeper dive into three players to get this 2024-25 college hoops season off on the right foot.
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!
Fletcher Loyer, G, Purdue 
The Purdue Boilermakers came within a single victory of winning the national championship, but UConn dashed those hopes last April.
While Zach Edey has since moved on to the NBA, the team has mainstays like Loyer and Braden Smith looking to make another deep run into March.
Loyer was good for 10.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game last season, while hitting 3-pointers at a 44.4 percent clip. With Edey no longer in the mix, Purdue has giant shoes to fill, both in the scoring and rebounding department. Loyer might be the most experienced player for head coach Matt Painter, and it is expected the junior from Fort Wayne will see a lot more scoring responsibilities.
Against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, a team which is a 21.5-point underdog, Purdue is expected to push the smallish Islanders around. We'll simply roll with Loyer to go Over his point total threshold.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Fletcher Loyer, Over 12.5 Points
Ryan Nembhard, G, Gonzaga 
A lot of top teams ease into the new season with a cupcake on the schedule. Not Gonzaga. Nembhard and the Zags host the Baylor Bears in a top-10 battle at Spokane Arena, and one of these teams will hit the ground running.
Nembhard is a tremendous player who averaged 12.6 PPG, 6.9 APG and 4.0 RPG while hitting 44.5 percent of his field-goal attempts last season. He handles the ball a lot, and that's why we're picking against him in the turnovers category, especially against a top-tier foe.
While Nembhard cut his turnovers per game down to 2.3 last season, he had four or more turnovers in five of his first nine games last season, as he slowly rounded into form as the season went along. Look for Baylor to pressure him into at least three miscues in the opener.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Ryan Nembhard, Over 2.5 Turnovers
Meechie Johnson, G, Ohio State 
Meechie Johnson makes his debut for Ohio State, or really, he becomes his second tour in Columbus. He played for the Buckeyes in his first two collegiate seasons before heading down to South Carolina for the past two seasons.
Johnson starred for the Gamecocks, going for 14.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 2.9 APG last season, hitting 39.9 percent from the field, while registering 32.1 percent from behind the 3-point line.
For PrizePicks purposes, we're focusing on the rebounding department. Johnson is a strong rebounding guard in the mold of a player like Dwyane Wade. He should be able to snag at least four rebounds in this marquee matchup against Texas at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at 10 p.m. ET on TNT/truTV.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Meechie Johnson, Over 4.5 Rebounds
Saturday's College Basketball PrizePicks Selections
Here's a recap of my best college basketball selections for Monday:
- Fletcher Loyer, Purdue, Over 12.5 Points
- Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga, Over 2.5 Turnovers
- Meechie Johnson, Ohio State, Over 3.5 Rebounds
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.
