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4 NCAA Tournament Prop Bets for Saturday's Round of 32 Games

Skyler Carlin
Skyler Carlin@skyler_carlin

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4 NCAA Tournament Prop Bets for Saturday's Round of 32 Games

College basketball season is in full swing, and via the college basketball odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, we can get into the action by checking out prop bets for key games.

For bettors, numberFire's Matchup Heat Map helps identify favorable game environments, while KenPom and Sports-Reference offer a wide range of team-level statistics. We can also turn to Bart Torvik and RealGM for advanced player stats and splits.

Let's check out FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds and dive into our wealth of statistical data to find today's best prop bets.

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

College Basketball Prop Bets

(7) Dayton vs. (2) Arizona, 12:45 p.m. ET

Pelle Larsson 2+ Threes (+142)

The Dayton Flyers made an improbable comeback to take down the Nevada Wolf Pack in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament. Following their impressive come-from-behind victory, the Flyers now have a date with the 2 seed Arizona Wildcats in the Round of 32.

One area the Wildcats could attack the Flyers is from behind the three-point line despite Arizona being 294th in offensive three-point rate (32.6%). That being said, the Wildcats just attempted 35 three-pointers -- and made 13 of them -- against the Long Beach State Beach in the Round of 64.

Of the five players who made at least one three in the First Round, Arizona's Pelle Larsson (12.9 PPG) is poised for another solid showing from deep. Larsson converted three of his five three-point attempts versus Long Beach State, and he's made multiple outside shots in three consecutive games.

After attempting four or fewer threes in each of his first 17 appearances this season, Larsson has now taken five-plus shots from beyond the arc in five of his last seven contests. The attempts should be there for Larsson against a Dayton team that is 284th in defensive three-point rate (40.4%).

With Larsson getting the green light to shoot more from deep in recent games, look for the experienced guard to continue knocking down threes in the Second Round.

(9) Michigan State vs. (1) North Carolina, 5:30 p.m. ET

Jaden Akins Over 3.5 Rebounds (-136)

For the Michigan State Spartans to keep their National Championship hopes alive, they'll need Jaden Akins (10.4 PPG) to have another productive showing versus the North Carolina Tar Heels. In the Round of 64 against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Akins supplied 15 points and seven rebounds for the Spartans.

The athletic guard was making impressive plays with his leaping ability in the First Round, and it'll take a collective effort to keep Armando Bacot (14.3 PPG, 10.3 RPG) off of the glass. Bacot tallied 15 boards in the First Round while recording double-digit rebounds in four straight contests.

As for Akins, the junior guard has gotten more involved in the rebounding apartment in recent games. Akins has notched four-plus rebounds in four consecutive games, and he's logged four-plus rebounds in 18 of his 34 appearances this season.

Despite the Tar Heels defeating the Wagner Seahawks with ease in the Round of 64, they did allow guards Melvin Council Jr. (14.9 PPG) and Tahron Allen (10.5 PPG) to grab four-plus rebounds each.

Given the fact that head coach Tom Izzo needs his entire team to be aggressive on the glass, Akins is poised for another four-plus rebound performance on Saturday.

(7) Texas vs. (2) Tennessee, 8 p.m. ET

Zakai Zeigler Over 5.5 Assists (-140)

In the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, the playmaking ability of Zakai Zeigler (11.8 PPG, 6.0 APG) was at the forefront as he tallied 10 assists in a 34-point victory for the Tennessee Volunteers. Following his impressive assist output, Zeigler's assists prop is set at 5.5 for the second-round matchup versus the Texas Longhorns.

Despite owning the third-highest usage rate (20.4%) on the Volunteers, Zeigler leads the team in assist percentage (34.2%) and assists per game (6.0). Zeigler also leads Tennessee in adjusted team offensive efficiency (120.8) when he's on the court, per EvanMiya's player ratings.

The skillful guard has dished out six-plus assists in five of his last seven games, and he reached seven-plus assists in those five games. While Zeigler posted six-plus dimes in only three of his first 10 games this season, he has reached this number in 14 of his last 23 contests.

From the looks of things, the Volunteers are prepared to make a deep push in the tourney, evidenced by them shooting an efficient 11-of-24 from three-point range in the Round of 64. Having a chance to pass the ball to the likes of Dalton Knecht (21.2 PPG) and Jonas Aidoo (12.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG) gives Zeigler a solid chance to have six-plus assists again.

(11) Oregon vs. (3) Creighton, 9:40 p.m. ET

Jackson Shelstad Over 11.5 Points (-118)

The Oregon Ducks secured an impressive 87-73 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks in the First Round, with Jermaine Couisnard (16.1 PPG) accounting for 40 of those points. Even with Couisnard having nearly 50% of Oregon's points, Jackson Shelstad (13.0 PPG) managed to record 11 points on only seven field-goal attempts.

While expecting Couisnard to score fewer than 40 points, I'm also expecting Shelstad to see a larger role against the Creighton Bluejays on Saturday. Before mustering 11 points on seven shots in the Round of 64, Shelstad had 12-plus points and at least 10 shot attempts in his previous six games.

The freshman guard has also reached the 12-point plateau in 18 of his 31 appearances this season. Additionally, Shelstad has made at least one three-pointer in seven consecutive outings, and multiple threes in four of his last seven.

Creighton does boast a formidable defense, but they are 362nd in defensive turnover rate (11.2%) and 280th in offensive rebound rate (25.9%). That means that the Ducks shouldn't have many possessions stolen from them by way of turning the ball over or because of an offensive rebound on the other end of the floor.

With a solid total of 145.5 -- and the over sitting at -115 odds -- Shelstad will be more effective with Oregon needing to score plenty of points to keep up with Creighton.


If you’re betting on any NCAA basketball action on March 23rd, take advantage of FanDuel Sportsbook’s Profit Boost Token! See the promotions page for more information.

Looking for more college basketball betting opportunities? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook to check out all of the upcoming college basketball odds.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

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