This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
Today's college hoops slate features a balanced mix of matchups, with only a single game standing out from a DFS perspective. Creighton-Georgetown easily has the highest over/under number in the common pool of games, an ideal starting point for filling out your lineup.
Targets
Denzel Mahoney, G/F, Creighton ($6,500 DK, $5,600 FD) 
Georgetown has the worst defensive efficiency in the Big East. Creighton has the 12th-most efficient offensive attack in the country. Seemingly every Bluejay starter is a viable DFS option in this matchup. Creighton played Georgetown last Wednesday, and all of the Bluejay starters played significant minutes, including Mahoney who led the team with 22 points. Georgetown's defense is slightly better at guarding against two-point shots, but the difference seems negligible considering its defense as a whole is already the worst in the conference.
Julian Champagnie, G, St. John's ($9,000 DK, $8,100 FD) 
Champagnie is scorching hot, averaging 35-plus fantasy points over his past three games. St. John's played Butler exactly four weeks ago, and Champagnie had the best performance of any player for either team. Another key matchup note, Butler's offense is giving up blocked shots at the worst rate in the Big East this season. St. John's defense, on the other hand, is blocking shots at the second best rate in the Big East since conference play started. Champagnie leads the team in blocks, making him a prime option given the matchup advantage.
Seth Lundy, F, Penn State ($5,100 DK, $5,500 FD) 
Lundy is a classic boom-or-bust player. He has multiple games this season with scoring 20-plus points, but he also has the same number of games with only scoring two points or fewer. He's had a lack of productivity lately, causing his salary to take a dip. Now seems like a good time to take a chance while his salary is low, especially considering that he went 0-for-6 from behind the arc in his last game. He made 40 percent of his three-pointers in Big Ten games last season, so he's more than capable of having a bounce-back game. Lundy might put up a dud, but he also might score 32 points like he did only a couple months ago against a strong VCU defense.
DraftKings Exclusive
John Petty Jr., G/F, Alabama ($7,000) 
Alabama, unsurprisingly, is expected to score the most points of any team on the slate, making the Crimson Tide an indispensable option for DK contests. Normally I'd first consider Herbert Jones because of his wide skill set, however Jones' status for the game is currently unclear. In his place, I'm targeting John Petty because of his elite shooting ability. Since conference play started, Petty has both the best effective field goal percentage and best three-point percentage (49 percent) among all qualifying players in the SEC.
Fades
Keion Brooks, F, Kentucky ($6,900 DK, $4,900 FD) 
Brooks recorded a career-high in both points and rebounds in his last game, causing a significant salary adjustment on DraftKings. I'm pumping the brakes on Brooks' stock for the moment, mostly because the Wildcats are taking on an Arkansas defense that's ranked top-20 in the country in terms of adjusted efficiency. That being said, and at the risk of contradicting myself, Brooks isn't a bad low-risk option on FanDuel given the DFS-friendly salary.
Derek Culver, F, West Virginia ($8,400 DK, $7,800 FD) 
The Mountaineers have a grim forecast today, as they're expected to score the fewest points of any team on the slate. This makes sense when you factor in the opponent, a Texas Tech defense that's ranked No. 11 in the country in terms of adjusted efficiency. The Red Raiders are excellent at guarding against two-point baskets, which is bad news for Culver because he hasn't attempted any shots from behind the arc this entire season. It's also worth pointing out that these two teams faced each other about two weeks ago, and Culver was relatively ineffective in that contest.
Bo Hodges, G, Butler ($8,800 DK, $7,000 FD) 
Butler has the worst offensive efficiency of any team on the slate, making them a tough draw for DFS purposes. Bo Hodges, a transfer from East Tennessee State, has only played three games for the Bulldogs, and yet he's the second most expensive player on DraftKings. Hodges played well in each of the past three games, but his adjusted salary seems a bit high. It's possible this is the correct salary for Hodges, but it's hard to tell when he only has three games under his belt. The high salary means a low margin for error, so I'm passing in this particular spot. The other note here is that St. John's has played excellent on both ends of the court lately, holding Villanova, the best ranked offense in the Big East, to just 59 points last week.
