This article is part of our DFS College Basketball series.
Friday turned out to be a disaster. We had been on quite the run, but into everyone's life a little rain must fall. I, for one, certainly didn't "love" those results on Valentine's Day. Hopefully we can rebound on my 15th wedding anniversary Saturday. In addition to celebrating the nuptials from 2010 in Las Vegas, I'm also playing the over 94.5 Round 1 Score for Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs in Saturday's NBA dunk contest and more than 23.5 Round 1 Score for Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 3-point contest. At 43.1 percent on the season, he holds the highest 3-point shooting percentage of any entrant. Let's get it, and go 5-for-5 on this Bonus Day!
As far as the college picks, we're going back to only points. Period. We got cute on Friday, and ultimately got burned.
If you're unfamiliar how to play, you must simply choose at least two players from any sport and pick more or less on their projected statistics to win. We'll obviously be exclusively selecting college hoops players, but you can mix and match from various other sports. You can also go with a flex play, meaning you still can have a winning night even if you have one losing selection. Or, you can go big and choose the power play, which pays out higher. However, you must hit all ends to win. Let's get started.
Nique Clifford, F, Colorado State
We've recommended Clifford before and we've also picked on Wyoming plenty during Mountain West Conference play.
Back on Jan. 18, the 6-foot-6, 200-pound senior from Colorado Springs was good for 23 points, 11 rebounds and five assists on 6-of-12 shooting - including 2-of-5 from downtown - against the Cowboys and their defense that's allowed 70.4 points per game with teams hitting 43.6 percent from the field and 31.8 from behind the 3-point line.
As for Clifford, he's picked up the pace of late going for 22.5 PPG with 14.5 RPG and 2.5 APG over the past two games against decent sides in San Diego State and Utah State. He and the Rams should squash the Cowboys on Saturday in Fort Collins. And I know what I said about points only, but we're tossing in the "more" on rebounds - though you can certainly elect to go over with points at 20.5.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Nique Clifford, Over 30.5 Pts+Rebs
Alex Merkviladze, F, Loyola Marymount
The Portland Pilots of the West Coast Conference (WCC) is another team we like to frequently target in this space.
The Pilots had their wings clipped by the Lions on Jan. 30 at Gersten Pavilion in Southern California during the first meeting en route to a 25-point defeat. Merkviladze produced 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting while connecting 3-of-7 from deep. He was also one of five LMU players to go for double-digits in scoring.
Portland offers one of the nation's worst defenses allowing 81.2 PPG, a 46.3 field-goal percentage and 38.2 3-pointer percentage, which is always good for a lot of points - if you're into projecting those kind of things.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Alex Merkviladze, Over 10.5 Points
Khalif Battle, G, Gonzaga
In another WCC rematch, Gonzaga hosts Pepperdine at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane. This game and the LMU-Portland one can be viewed or streamed on ESPN+ at 10 p.m. EST.
Gonzaga survived a close shave against the Waves in Malibu during their first meeting on Dec. 30 coming away with an 89-82 decision. The Bulldogs shot 54.6 percent from the field, but only 13.3 percent (2-of-15) from behind the arc. Battle led the way with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting while also going a solid 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.
The senior from New Jersey is looking to bounce back after a rough showing against San Francisco Thursday as he only recorded nine points on 1-of-5 shooting, including 0-for-2 from downtown. The Waves allow 74.0 PPG and a 44.5 field-goal percentage while teams hit treys at a 32.5 percent clip.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Khalif Battle, Over 12.5 Points
Saturday's College Basketball PrizePicks Selections
Here's a recap of my best college basketball selections for Saturday:
- Nique Clifford, Colorado State, Over 30.5 Pts+Rebs
- Alex Merkviladze, Loyola Marymount, Over 10.5 Points
- Khalif Battle, Gonzaga, Over 12.5 Points
For additional recommendations for PrizePicks and other similar sites, check out our College Basketball Picks page.
For more fantasy college hoops content, be sure to check out features like our college basketball injury report, college basketball depth charts and latest college basketball news.
