This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
We've got our usual 12-game slate featued on DraftKings' main contest, tipping at 6:30 p.m. EST. For the second straight night, we've got a huge prize pool in play, with an $18 entry getting you a one in 3,267 chance at at $10,000 first place prize. Know the lack of high payouts has been a talk of the industry for the bulk of the season, but perhaps we'll have more cracks at big winners as we head into tournament time.
Six games double into the 9:00 p.m. evening slate. We should see plenty of scoring too, with eight of the 12 games featuring totals of 140 or better, with only Virginia at Boston College looking like a game we may want to completely avoid.
This column evolved into a very frontcourt heavy piece. That wasn't the intent, but I do find myself regularly gravitating towards lineup builds with dominant forwards, while backcourts usually offer more value options.
Top Tier
Oscar Tshiebwe, F, Kentucky ($9,500)
In Florida's first game without Colin Castleton ($10,300), Arkansas shot 57.6 percent from the floor and out-rebounded the Gators 40-25. The Gators have absolutely no quality size without their shot-blocking big man, which should allow Tshiebwe to feast on the interior throughout Wednesday's game. He managed 15 rebounds against Castleton, but went just 2-for-14 in an earlier meeting. That seems highly unlikely to happen again. A double-double seems a lock, and it could be one of Tshiebwe's monster showings.
PJ Hall, F, Clemson ($8,700)
Hall has scored 18 or more in four straight and 17 or more in nine of the Tigers last 10 outings, creating stability at a minimum. He's a capable 3-point shooter (39.7 percent) though on lower volume than teammate Hunter Tyson ($8,500), who may seem like a more conventional target against the Orange's 2-3 zone. But because of that zone, Hall won't have to contend with the length of Jesse Edwards ($9,200) directly. The Tigers are struggling, losers of four of five, and I look for Hall to shine in a must-win game against a team that checks in at a middling 136th in defensive efficiency, per KenPom.
Middle Tier
DJ Burns, F, North Carolina State ($7,100)
We never want to be in the business of strictly chasing a prior performance, but it's difficult to completely ignore Burns monster 31 points and nine rebounds previously posted against Wake Forest, where he took a mammoth 26 shots. None of that is going to happen again here, but Wake Forest is a guard-heavy lineup that doesn't have the size to combat Burns on the interior. The price point is at a level where we're seeking 28 DKP, something he's been around in five of six since last facing the Deacons. He simply needs to stay out of foul trouble, and the production comes. With Wake seemingly not in a spot to put him into that trouble in one-on-one situations, Burns should enjoy his evening.
Nick Ongenda, F, DePaul ($6,400)
Ongenda has played 49 minutes in two games since returning from a wrist injury that previously kept him out the entire season. He's responded with 14 rebounds and 12 blocks while taking 20 shots, though hitting just six. The defensive upside has his price rising, but it's still not too high to garner attention. There are a lot of what ifs here. What if Yor Anei ($4,900) returns from a one-game absence and eats into Ongenda's minutes? And what is the status of Butler big man Manny Bates ($7,800)? If Bates plays, Ongenda won't dominate the paint exclusively. If he doesn't however, you have to think Ongenda shoots better than 30 percent, raising his floor and ceiling.
Bargain Tier
Tramon Mark, G, Houston ($6,200)
It makes sense to target the Cougar attack Wednesday in a matchup with Tulane's fourth-ranked tempo and 100th-ranked defense, one which Houston posted 80 points against in an earlier meeting. The issue becomes which piece of this attack do we trust, as all five of their starters play big minutes and produce on a nightly basis. Mark is the cheapest, has been under 22.25 DKP just once in his last five, and went for 12 points and seven boards in an earlier matchup with the Green Wave. It's certainly a matchup play moreso than one on Mark, but there's no denying the favorable spot.
JJ Starling, G, Notre Dame ($4,500)
Starling has started eight of the Irish's last 10 games and worked towards a team-high 23.4 percent usage rate over their last five. There's monster volatility, and while I'm willing to give Starling a pass on his woeful 0.25 DKP showing against defensive-minded Virginia last time out, the truth is he hasn't returned 4x this number in five straight games. But prior to that, he showed a 7x ceiling against Louisville and North Carolina State. With pace expected to be higher, and North Carolina's continued inability to keep guards in front of them and out of the paint defensively, Starling should be able to score in double-digits Wednesday while grabbing a few rebounds as well.
