66 NCAA Tournament games are in the books, and just one remains the National Championship game. The game will feature two No. 1 seeds squaring off in the Purdue Boilermakers taking on the defending champion UConn Huskies. Let’s take a quick look back at the Final Four before we get into the National Championship DraftKings DFS Picks.
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2024 Men’s NCAA Tournament National Championship DraftKings DFS Picks
The clock struck midnight in the first game as the Purdue Boilermakers took down 2024’s Cinderella story, the No. 11-seeded North Carolina Wolfpack. Zach Edey once again led the way for the Boilermakers with a double-double performance of 20 points and 12 rebounds.
In the second game of the Final Four, the Alabama Crimson Tide hung around for quite some time. Eventually, though, the strength of the defending champions was just too much for the Tide, and the Huskies took over and punched their ticket to defend the crown.
The National Championship Game will be broadcast on Monday, April 8th, at 9:20 p.m. ET on TBS, TNT, and truTV. The UConn Huskies are 6-point favorites.
Cam Spencer (G) – UConn $9,600
UConn grad transfer Cam Spencer has been extremely consistent through this NCAA Tournament. Spencer has been a shooter since day one in college basketball. He shot 44% from downtown as a freshman at Loyola (MD). At Rutgers, Spencer shot 43.4 from three-point range.
This season with UConn, Spencer hasn’t slowed down. If he’s not scoring the most points, he’s snagging rebounds and distributing assists to his talented teammates. In the Elite Eight against Illinois, he had 11 points but grabbed 12 rebounds, had five assists, blocked two shots, and got a steal. A cool 41.5 DraftKings DFS Fantasy points led to a strong day for Spencer.
In Saturday’s Final Four matchup against Alabama, it was 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and even two steals for Spencer. 35.5 DraftKings points made for another good day for the Huskies Guard.
Mason Gillis (F) – Purdue $5,800
Mason Gillis is worth a look in this National Championship Game. He is the Boilermakers’ most consistent three-point shooter (47.5%). Gillis is playing significant minutes off the bench, and with the focus that will have to be placed on superstar Zach Edey in the paint, he is a great option to kick out and sink some shots from beyond the arc.
Mason has been steady throughout the tournament, averaging 13.7 DraftKings DFS points per game. Gillis has shown the ability to have big games multiple times this season. If Purdue is going to have a shot at the National Championship, they are going to need big contributions from Gillis.
Hassan Diarra (G) – UConn $5,400
Sticking in the value area is going to allow us to fill our roster with the higher-priced players at the top. The 6-foot-2 senior guard for the Huskies is a pivotal piece in the UConn rotation. Diarra has averaged 15.12 DraftKings DFS points throughout the NCAA Tournament and has shown the ability to put up big numbers when he’s needed.
Against SDSU in the Sweet 16, Diarra put up 23 DFS points. In both games against Marquette (who would end up a No. 2 seed in the tournament), he put up 21 & 35.8 DFS points. Diarra can sink shots from downtown, and he’s a hustler who will get rebounds and assists every game.
Braden Smith (G) – Purdue $9,200
The Boilermakers star guard struggled offensively in their Final Four matchup against North Carolina State. Only scored three points. He still managed to grab eight rebounds and six assists to save his DFS day with 26.0 points.
Let’s not forget Braden Smith’s upside, though. Just two games ago, Smith went off against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Smith scored an electric 14 points while snagging eight rebounds and distributing an astonishing 15 assists, leading to a 50.0 DFS day for Smith.
In a game that’s going to be heavy on everyone playing Zach Edey, which it’s hard to argue against doing, other than his hefty price of $13,600. Smith provides a great player with a high upside that is likely going to be overlooked.
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