The NCAA tournament is officially here. No more play-in games. The NIT takes the night off. It’s 16 games featuring some of the best teams in the nation, and it’s on TV all day long. Keep in mind that we’ve done a lot more with a lot less this year. All it takes is a few college hoops games on the slate and we can build an Underdog Fantasy college basketball entry. We’ve gone through today’s schedule and found three projections that you’ll want to consider for an entry today.
Keep in mind that playing all three legs of our plays in Underdog Fantasy could win you 6X your money on a single entry. Let’s dig into tonight’s plays and remember to let it ride!
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Underdog Fantasy College Basketball Picks March 20
Matt Dewoskin Underdog Fantasy College Basketball Pick Em Record (Est 11/4/2024)
All Pick Em Selections: 190-166-4
Perfect 3-0 Pick Em Entries: 20-100
Egor Demin Higher Than 2.5 Turnovers
BYU draws VCU for their first-round match up of the 2025 NCAA tournament. VCU enters this game with a defense that generates 13.7 turnovers per game. That’s tied for 46th in the nation. The Rams can get it after it on defense, and we’re going to roll with BYU guard Egor Demin to hand the ball back at least three times.
Demin comes into this match up averaging 3.0 turnovers per game as a true Freshman. He’s gone higher than 2.5 turnovers in five of his last seven games and has been a turnover machine for most of the year. Demin went higher than 2.5 turnovers in each of the two conference tournament games he played in.
Demin is a unique talent, but he’s still very raw and makes mistakes at times. He has to face a VCU defense with upperclassmen through the lineup. The Rams are also 34th in the nation in steals per game and are good at playing passing lanes and poking at guards. This is a tough match up and it looks like one of the safest turnover plays on the board today. Lock up Demin to go higher than 2.5 turnovers in your Underdog Fantasy college basketball entry for March 20th.
Bennett Stirtz Higher Than 17.5 Points
A gritty white guy who can shoot and plays for Drake in March? Set this point total at a million!
Drake gets Missouri in the first round of the 2025 NCAA tournament. The Missouri Tigers allow opponents to score 73.8 points per game this year. That’s 216th in the nation. They also give up 20.3 free throw attempts per game. That’s 248th in the nation. Lastly, they allow opponents to shoot 44.3% from the field. That’s 191st in the nation.
Bennett Stirtz enters this game averaging 19.1 points per game. We’re already getting him at a discount! He shoots almost 80% from the line, nearly 50% from the field, and close to 40% from deep. He’s a threat all over the court, and he’d the first option on the Bulldogs offense.
Stirtz played against Vanderbilt and Kansas State in the Drake non-conference slate. He scored 16 against Vandy and 29 against K-State. He’s also gone higher than 17.5 points in five of his last seven.
Stirtz is a capable scorer going up against a Missouri team that has occasional defensive lapses. If this game is close, you know Stirtz will see the free throw line a ton at the end of the game. Let’s roll with Stirtz to go higher than 17.5 points in a potential upset.
Hunter Dickinson Higher Than 9.5 Rebounds
Kansas gets to face Arkansas in their first-round game in the 2025 NCAA tournament. Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson will likely spend most of the game banging with Arkansas sophomore Zvonimir Ivisic. Ivisic is capable, but this is March and Dickinson is in his 87th season of college hoops.
Arkansas enters this game allowing opponents to average 34.5 rebounds per game this year. That’s 185th in the nation.
Dickinson comes into this match up averaging 10.0 rebounds per game. He’s gone higher than 9.5 rebounds in seven of his last eight match ups.
Last year, Dickinson played 37 minutes in the first round of the NCAA tournament as Kansas struggled to get past Samford. Arkansas should be a tougher match up, and Dickinson will likely get a similar workload. It’s the first round of the tournament in March. Let’s lock up Dickinson to step up and go higher than 9.5 rebounds in our Underdog Fantasy college basketball entry for March 20th.
The College Basketball Experience
For more analysis on every college basketball game for the 2024-25 season, make sure you tune into The College Basketball Experience. Colby Dant, Moneyline Mac, and Noah Bieniek talk about each game on the entire slate. Listen for input on ATS and moneyline college basketball picks every night!
