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We have another big night of college hoops and DraftKings has split them up again to get more teams involved. It's a good strategy that proved fruitful for them and basketball DFS fans alike last season. The main slate is a little smaller than last night, but I'm good with that. Eight games is just about the right size! The early game tonight is in Philly with UConn making the trip down to face Villanova.
The normal start times send USC to Assembly Hall to take on Indiana. Florida State is in Miami for a rivalry tilt. Notre Dame is in Raleigh to face the Pack. Mississippi heads to Fayetteville to take on the Hogs. Alabama is in Columbia to take on the Gamecocks. Colorado escapes winter for a bit to take on Central Florida. We close this one out in Providence with Butler facing the Friars.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy college basketball lineup picks on DraftKings on 1/8/25, starting at 6:30 p.m. EST. I’ll give multiple player suggestions at guard and forward, aiming to highlight one option at the salary scale's high, middle, and lower levels. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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Today's DraftKings Guards - CBB DFS Lineup Picks
Mark Sears, Alabama ($9.4K)
Mark Sears in first 8 games:
16.6 ppg/3.6 apg/35% FG%/28% from 3Mark Sears in his last 6 games:
21.3 ppg/5.5 apg/47% FG%/38% from 3
??? pic.twitter.com/k5yGJ0Is9N— Ryan Hammer? (@ryanhammer09) January 7, 2025
It's safe to say that the slow start for Sears is done. He nuked an undefeated Oklahoma team for 50 DraftKings points, posting his first double-double of the season. Tonight's matchup features a South Carolina team that just got mauled by Mississippi State over the weekend. Look for Sears to come up big again.
Markus Burton, Notre Dame ($7.3K)
I think we can say that Burton's knee is fine. He didn't start against Carolina over the weekend, but he still racked up 28 DraftKings points in 23 minutes of court time. Rumor has it that he's starting against the Pack. For one night only, Burton is a massive bargain!
Matthew Cleveland, Miami (FL) ($6.1K)
Someone had to make up for all of the scoring lost with Wooga Poplar heading to Villanova. Cleveland has done it over the last couple of weeks. He has 85 points over the last four games for the Hurricanes while playing strong defense and putting up good rebounding numbers. He's way too cheap against his former team.
Kevin Patton Jr., USC ($4.2K)
Patton saw more minutes with Matt Knowling and Terrance Williams out against Michigan. He was so good from the floor that the Trojans couldn't afford to sit him down. Patton played 28 minutes, putting up 29.25 DraftKings points. He still won't start, but with Williams out for a while, Patton could see a lot of minutes ... at least until he cools off.
Also consider: Jamir Watkins, Florida State ($9K); Labaron Philon, Alabama ($7.6K); Wooga Poplar, Villanova ($7.4K); Desmond Claude, USC ($7.1K); Jayden Pierre, Providence ($6.6K); D.J. Wagner, Arkansas ($5.9K); Michael O'Connell, North Carolina State ($5K); Divine Ugochukwu, Miami (FL) ($3.6K)
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Today's DraftKings Forwards - CBB DFS Lineup Picks
Oumar Ballo, Indiana ($10K)
- Wildcats dominated on the boards (44-30), in large part due to #USC's shooting struggles. Also turned 14 offensive rebounds into 19 second-chance pts.
- Oumar Ballo: 10 pts (3-4 FG, 4-10 FT), 13 rebs, 3 blks, 2 stls.
- KJ Lewis had game-high 15 pts (6-10 FG), 6 rebs off bench. pic.twitter.com/h01cvGcukG— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) March 14, 2024
That's what Ballo did to the Trojans the last time that he faced them. His role with Indiana is much larger than it was with Arizona last year. USC has the size to deal with Ballo, but I don't think it is athletic enough. He could put up 50 DraftKings points again.
Grant Nelson, Alabama ($8.5K)
Sure, the whole team was hot against Oklahoma, but the Tide have scored at least 80 points in every game since November 15 against Purdue (they scored 78 in that one). This offense excels at getting its shooters in position to score. Nelson nabbing double-digit rebounds in four of the last five games is just a (double-double) bonus.
Igor Milicic Jr., Tennessee ($7.1K)
Milicic has dominated the glass over the last three games. If he can keep his scoring up like he did against Arkansas, Milicic can put up some big numbers. If he is going to be the force that Tobe Awaka never quite was for Tennessee, this team is going to be nearly impossible to beat.
Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech ($6.8K)
Ndongo has scored in double figures in five straight games, but fouls are becoming a massive problem. Ndongo has committed 13 fouls in just 49 minutes of court time over the last three games. If he can stay on the court for 30 minutes, he's a walking double-double. I love the potential for the price in GPPs, but he's hard to trust right now.
Luke Goode, Indiana ($5.1K)
Goode has turned in some good outings with Malik Reneau out for the Hoosiers. Keep an eye on Reneau's status. If Reneau plays, Goode will have trouble hitting value at this price in diminished minutes.
Ryan Mela, Providence ($4.7K)
Bryce Hopkins is still hobbled and Mela has been a good replacement for him. He has between 16 and 22 DraftKings points in all four games that Hopkins has missed this month. If Hopkins is out again, Mela can provide good value, albeit without much upside.
Also consider: Eric Dixon, Villanova ($9.8K); Malique Ewin, Florida State ($8.3K); Keyshawn Hall, Central Florida ($7K); David Joplin, Marquette ($6.3K); Dontrez Styles, North Carolina State ($5.8K); Samson Johnson, Connecticut ($5.4K)
