With the college basketball slate featuring mostly afternoon games of note, naturally, we debut this Monkey Knife Fight column focusing on only one game.
Outside of the night games, there was one evening game that was just destined to get some coverage. Our columns will start out brief and simple. When March Madness hits, there will be some fun forays into upsets and much more.
MonkeyKnifeFight.com continues to be ahead of the curve with their canceling of contests amid postponements, so don't worry about wasting money on a player or game that might not play. As always, you can find me @ChrisWasselDFS on Twitter with any questions, especially since lines and players are subject to change throughout the day.
Today's err this evening's featured matchup is indeed the Duke Blue Devils heading to Chapel Hill to face the North Carolina Tar Heels.
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Duke @ North Carolina
Matthew Hurt (Duke) MORE 18.5 Points - Armando Bacot MORE 11.5 Points
This will come across as an early act of aggression but going double over here is a risky yet reasonable play. Now, Armando Bacot has struggled to get playing time which limits point potential always. However, in Syracuse, Bacot played 25 minutes which is encouraging going into this clash with Duke. He is a power forward who shoots at a high percentage (over 62% from the field). Yes, his shots are pretty much all close but the opportunities should be there against a Duke team that will give up interior looks under and near the basket. Enough interior chances are to be had here as North Carolina is the better team from the half-court standpoint down low.
The Blue Devils feature Matthew Hurt almost to a fault at times. Hurt's biggest enemy is foul trouble. This is where the biggest risk is with this entire prop. If Hurt gets in early foul trouble and this pick is done faster than an overcooked steak. When Hurt is not in quite as much foul trouble, he hits this over. Hurt scored 20+ points in four of his last six outings including a 37-point outburst in Louisville. If he finds his shot and hits double-digit shot attempts, a 20 point evening is very likely for the forward.
A win here pays 3.5 times your wager.
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More or Less
Matthew Hurt MORE 18.5 Points - Caleb Love MORE 3.5 Assists
Like we mentioned above, this game has the feel of being a little higher pace than usual which favors a bit more scoring. Hurt will get his points and yet there is this feeling that Love will get his assists as well. Hurt shoots well from the field while Love's vision is quite good.
The problem with Love is his shooting. It's abysmal honestly. He shoots just 31.1% from the field and there are times where the Freshman could not hit the broad side of a barn. The thing is this. Love matches up well against Duke. His best performance of the season was versus the Blue Devils when he went off for 25 points and seven assists on 9-16 shooting. It is that flash that may get us the cash here on Saturday evening.
The other good thing for the second half of this prop is Love rarely ever gets in foul trouble. Basically, in two games out of 22, Love and personal fouls have been an issue. That's it. He will play his typical 30-31 minutes a night more than likely as North Carolina is projected to defeat Duke on Saturday night.
A win here also pays 3.5 times the wager.
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