Once upon a time, not that many years ago, the Champions Classic that pitted some combination of Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State against one another was the true tipoff of the college basketball season. It has lost some of its marquee value now that it comes two weeks deep into the season. Do we blame Coach K for this too? Perhaps that would not be fair. The event should be great, even if it has lost some of its shine.
It is tempting to just concentrate on the non-Champion Classics games because it would seem that heavyweights such as North Carolina and Arkansas should be able to pound their opponents, Navy and Winthrop, respectively. The problem is that those games are liable to become blowouts, so the stars may see fewer minutes. Perhaps some of my recommendations can put up big numbers even in limited minutes.
College Basketball DFS Picks for Tuesday, November 18
Darryn Peterson ($9,700) looks to be the tease of the early season. He is unlikely to play in the "near future" due to hamstring issues, which can only go away via rest. It will be interesting to see how coach Bill Self divvies out his minutes and offensive opportunities. No Jayhawk guard has come to the fore yet. Meanwhile, Seth Trimble ($7,300) remains out with a broken arm. His replacement, Luka Bogavac ($5,700) is recommended below.
Editor's Note: Per Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68, Peterson has officially been ruled out for the matchup against Duke.
College Basketball DFS Top Players
Caleb Wilson, F, North Carolina ($8,800)
While Cameron Boozer ($10,700) is garnering most of the headlines for his early-season dominance, Wilson is not far behind. On Tuesday, you can save nearly $2,000 and have a much more advantageous matchup. Wilson is coming off consecutive double-doubles and has scored at least 20 points in three of his four games. Navy has some functional size in Aidan Kehoe ($6,800) and Donovan Draper ($8,000), but neither player should be able to slow down Wilson.
Malik Thomas, G, Arkansas ($9,200)
Coach John Calipari opened the season with Thomas coming off the bench. It was quickly evident that the 6-6 freshman was one of the best Razorbacks, and he joined the starting lineup. The extra minutes have not resulted in better production yet. Thomas and the rest of the Razorbacks should get plenty of shots up against Winthrop, which places at a top-20 pace per KenPom.com. Thomas has not been held below 16 points, and he might double that against the Eagles.
Jaxon Kohler, F, Michigan State ($8,400)
Both Kentucky and Michigan State rate in the top-15 in defensive efficiency, per KenPom. Might the earlier game of the Champions Classic fall into a rock fight? Kentucky's offense is also top-10, but it has not faced a defense as tenacious as Michigan State's. If the Wildcat shooting falls off, Kohler will be there to clean the glass. He is third in the nation at 13.3 rebounds and adds 14.3 points. Take that double-double bonus! Kohler has only hit 25.0 percent of his 3-pointers, so a bump in outside efficiency might take him into 20-point territory.
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Middle Tier
Javan Buchanan, F, Boise State ($6,300)
The Wichita State-Boise State tilt looks odd in this set of five games. There is value to be had here. While Andrew Meadow ($6,200) was more hyped in the preseason, it has the 6-7 Buchanan who has been the best producer. His minutes have been on the ascent, and he is coming off his best game with 19 points and nine rebounds in the win over Mount St. Mary's. Buchanan is hitting more 3-pointers (46.2 percent) than within the arc (36.8 percent on field goals), but that will even out and he should find room in the paint against the Shockers.
Luka Bogavac, G, North Carolina ($5,700)
Before Trimble went out, Bogavac averaged 7.5 points and 3.0 assists in 19.5 minutes. In his last two games as a starter, the 6-6 native of Montenegro has improved those averages to 16.0 points and 3.5 assists in 28.0 minutes. He pumped up 18 shots in the Nov. 11 win over Radford, so he is not shy about hoisting field goals. If the Midshipmen pack the paint to try to stop Wilson, that will leave plenty of openings for Bogavac to take advantage of.
Dre Kindell, G, Wichita State ($5,300)
It is tempting to look at Shocker center Will Berg ($6,100), but fouls have been an issue for the seven-footer. You might want to look elsewhere on the road -- from the biggest Wichita State player to the 5-11 Kindell, who has been patrolling the offense. He is leading the team with 4.7 assists to go along with double-digit scoring in every game. Kindell called his own number more often in the win over Loyola (Chicago) on Thursday and finished with 12 points (on a season-high 14 field goal attempts) with seven assists.
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College Basketball DFS Value Plays
Malachi Moreno, F, Kentucky ($4,800)
The freshman center might see a few extra minutes to battle the boards against the Spartans. Through four games, he has not topped 21 minutes, and fouls have not been an issue. Moreno had a double-double on Nov. 7 against Valparaiso with 18 points and 10 rebounds. On the season, he is averaging 10.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, which makes him a decent value play in what should be an interesting game against the Spartans.
Denzel Aberdeen, G, Kentucky ($4,500)
Otega Oweh ($7,400) was expected to be the go-to player for the Wildcat offense, but he has been stuck in neutral to start the season (13.0 points). Oweh's early season quietude has allowed for more offensive opportunities for players like Everdeen who is leading the team with 15.3 points. The 6-5 guard had his best game in the Wildcats' lone loss to Louisville with 26 points and seven rebounds. He has not been held to single-digit scoring thus far.
Editor's Note: Per Zack Geoghegan of On3 Sports, guard Jaland Lowe (shoulder) will not play against Michigan State, which reinforces Aberdeen as a possible value play.
Billy Richmond III, G, Arkansas ($3,900)
As mentioned above, Winthrop likes to play at pace, which makes Arkansas bench players possible value plays. Players like Richmond III might see extra opportunities, particularly if the game gets out of hand. The 6-6 sophomore has averaged just 7.0 points and 4.5 rebounds, but he is getting quality playing time (23.0 minutes) even after he was replaced in the starting lineup by Thomas. Richmond is coming off a 10-point, 5-rebound game in the win over Samford. More of that would make him a nice get at the bottom of the cap.
