As the Friday exit of Team Brotherly Love and House Of Paign [sadly] became official, The Basketball Tournament is now down to two Cinderella dogs remaining in Herd That and Sideline Cancer, each facing the #2 and #3 seeds on Saturday.
Overseas Elite may be the best team collectively in the history of the tournament according to some, while Boeheim’s Army with Donte Greene, Malachi Richardson, and Eric Devendorf are a trio to be reckoned with. But Herd That and Sideline Cancer are both proven to be up to the task as quite worthy challengers to the aforementioned juggernauts.
Come Saturday early-evening we’ll have our TBT Final Four set in stone (or on felt if we’re speaking literally) with an epic two-game slate staged for Sunday’s picking. But first we get to see the latter half of that picture framed for us, and hopefully inclusive of some lineups to cash in lieu of such. Have fun, get green, and enjoy Saturday’s action!
High/Mid
Pooh Jeter, Overseas Elite
Guard ($8,000 DK/$19 FD)
Certainly Joe Johnson has been cemented as the flagship of TBT’s name recognition, especially as a prime contributor to the tournament’s best team collective. And although an alternative sense of name recognition applies to the unique moniker of Pooh Jeter, his talent therein specifically deserves a far greater amount of that association.
In a contested bout with team Armored Athlete, Pooh Jeter came through as a clutch asset to his Overseas Elite team on the court along with fantasy investors off of it. Posting a team-high 22 points coupled with two rebounds and one assist, Jeter carried over to the fantasy realm with 32.9 FanDuel Fantasy Points (and 33.5 DraftKings Fantasy Points) and was essential in taking down top prizes on Thursday afternoon.
For Saturday’s slate, I believe spending up to pair Jeter with Joe Johnson may be a safe move along with a lesser owned maneuver, considering the field may shy away in part from spending so much on two players from the same team. Johnson provided a team-high four assists in their last game, along with 13 points and five rebounds.
Donte Greene, Boeheim’s Army
Forward ($6,400 DK/$22 FD)
Finishing his last game with the Boeheim’s Army second-highest scoring total and top rebounder, Donte Greene was a crucial factor in getting past a difficult task in team Men of Mackey, 76-69. Averaging nearly a double-double with 16 points, nine rebounds, and four steals, Greene wound up being the top fantasy point producer of Boeheim’s Army and did so by showcasing his abilities beyond simply being involved offensively.
In college, Donte Greene was a one-and-done standout for Syracuse, solidifying a Big East All-Freshman award and averaged 17.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, also supplemented by a solid 24.9% usage rate that highlights his ability to be involved effectively in taking over when necessary as well.
Sideline Cancer isn’t your typical bottom-seeded underdog and could very well take this game over Boeheim’s Army. But should the Syracuse alumni hold their ground against their gritty opposition, assuredly Donte Greene will be a prime factor in their escape with a victory.
And just for the record, Greene is priced far too cheap over on DraftKings, which leads me to believe he may wind up being chalk on that site, but could be passed over for cheaper Malachi Richardson on FanDuel.
Marcus Keene, Sideline Cancer
Guard ($8,700 DK/$23 FD)
And speaking of the opposition, coming off a convincing 10-point conquering of Team Challenge ALS on Tuesday, Marcus Keene caught everyone’s attention as a top scorer and facilitator for team Sideline Cancer in a 76-66 win to keep a Cinderella dancing.
Knocking down 16 points and coming in one point shy of Sideline Cancer’s top point producer, Keene also added a team-high six assists and three rebounds, harnessing a very acceptable 27.6 FanDuel Fantasy Points for fantasy owners. However, I find the tournament-friendly high ceiling he has shown capable of recently reaching a game prior to be the enticing factor to his spend-up option offered.
I believe if Sideline Cancer keeps the jets turned on as much as they have in order to get to this point of the tournament, Marcus Keene will need another stellar stat line effort to retain their ticket toward one million dollars in just the days ahead. I would be looking to roster teammate Eric Thompson, despite the latest price hike, in tandem with Keene for most realistic upside if they pull off the win here.
Mid/Low
Rondale Watson, Herd That
Guard ($5,200 DK/$15 FD)
As the Cinderella slippers shine brightly on two remaining teams, the value plays that come with them are every bit as bright, and Herd That’s Rondale Watson is among them. The price point of low $5,000’s is always worth digging a bit deeper to find the right fit, but coming in on the last slate at a meager $4,100 and dropping 22.5 DraftKings Fantasy Points makes the value all the more obvious to a naked eye.
Against a favored group in The Money Team, Rondale Watson stacked the stat line with five points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals, as he came in just shy by a block from “batting the cycle”, from a basketball standpoint so-to-speak. The production was right on par with his collegiate averages at Wake Forest and Marshall where he tallied 11.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per 40 minutes.
He’s not going to break the slate (or shouldn’t anyhow), but his multi-tooled talents and ability to produce fantasy points in nearly every way possible make him a versatile plug-and-play option on both sites, while he’s not so insanely cheap that he becomes mega-chalk.
Remy Abell, Sideline Cancer
Guard ($5,600 DK/$16 FD)
Portraying the player DNA different than that of the multi-pronged utilities most previously mentioned, Remy Abell is a shoot-first guard who has produced identical stat lines and fantasy totals in both of his last two outings, functioning as a volumetric usage dominator on the offensive side of things for team Sideline Cancer.
As the team’s top scorer in the recent victory over Team Challenge ALS, Remy Abell netted 17 points accompanied by two rebounds and one block, engineering a 22.5 DKFP fantasy performance (21.4 FDFP) and a financially optimal supplement to the more costly players who paid off in similar fashion.
The shots have been falling for the ex-Hoosier-turned-Musketeer, whose tenure at Xavier or the former did not quite reflect the level of ball-dominant play as witnessed lately in The Basketball Tournament, averaging a modest 15.3% usage rate and 12 points per 40 minutes in his four NCAA years on-court. Given his 17-point per game average in TBT (17 in both outings), and providing the team’s high in points in his last game, a million dollar switch has flipped for Remy Abell, while his fantasy pricing remains humble.
Bargain
Ryan Luther, Herd That
Forward ($4,700 DK/$13 FD)
Dropping daggers and limiting the fantasy dollar per-player investment average, Ryan Luther comes into this quarterfinal matchup with remaining top-seeded Overseas Elite as a very serviceable bargain play who is more of a steal on DraftKings, though rather flexible on both sites in regards to roster expenditure.
Dishing up a complementary nine points, six rebounds, one assist, and one steal in their nail-biter 102-99 Elam Ending victory on Thursday, the Herd That value forward lobbed up 19.5 DKFP (and 18.7 FDFP) to fantasy owners and 20 fantasy points in his game prior, all while costing $5,100 and $6,300 on DraftKings in the previous contributions.
Coming in the Bargain field of sub-$5k players with the fantasy point average right at the 20-mark is very much worth the attention, as his efforts have come through until the very end of Herd That’s winning streak, hitting the clinching Elam Ending in the epic victory over The Money Team.
