The first day of March Madness brought its usual share of thrilling drama. No. 13 seeded Furman knocked off No. 4 Virginia with an unbelievable three-point jumper from JP Pegues with 2 seconds left in the game. Plays like that are what make March so special for college hoops fans!
We ended up going 3-1 with our college hoops player props on Thursday! The San Diego State vs. Charleston game was good to us, as both Keshad Johnson and Ante Brzovic cashed their points and rebounding props. Chase Audige also got the job done by nailing three shots from 3-point land.
Our only loser was on Nick Smith Jr. of Arkansas, who missed both of his 3-point shots to burn our over ticket. Overall though, a 3-1 day is always a good thing.
Ready to cash in on Day 2 of the NCAA Tournament? Here are 4 PrizePicks college basketball props for Friday, March 17! For those who are new to PrizePicks, we recommend putting a full unit on the Flex Play and only a half unit on the Power Play. Let's cash some tickets!
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Joey Hauser (Michigan St) UNDER 15.5 Points
Hauser has been a solid scoring threat for Coach Tom Izzo's Spartans this season. Even though that's the case, we're fading Hauser on Friday morning against USC. The Trojans have a stingy defense that ranks 2nd in the nation in opponent 2-point field goal percentage.
Also, this number is at least one point too high. Five of the largest sportsbook in the country are pricing this prop at 14.5 instead of 15.5. It's probably because Hauser is only averaging 14.2 points per game for the season.
Hauser has played in 31 games this year. The 6-9 220-pounder has stayed under this point total in 18 of those games. That's enough for us to pull the trigger on the Under!
Tyson Walker (Michigan St) UNDER 15.5 Points
We'll stay in the same game and with the same team for prop #2. Just like his teammate Hauser, Walker has also been a reliable scorer for Michigan State. However, this number is also a shade too high, according to our numbers.
Walker is averaging 14.6 points per game for the season, but he's stayed under this point total in 21 of 31 games. The 6-foot guard has always scored 15 points or less in 9 of his last 13 outings.
We've already mentioned how good USC's defense is, which is another reason why we like this play. The Trojans rank 9th in opponent shooting efficiency. Maybe that's why BetRivers is pricing this prop at 12.5 instead of 15.5.
Mitchell Saxen (St. Mary's) OVER 5.5 Rebounds
Here's another line that PrizePicks is being far too generous with. Saxen is a 6-10,230-pound center that can be tough to box out down low. VCU could have a hard time keeping Saxen off the glass, especially since they only rank 242nd in rebounds per game.
For the season, Saxen is averaging 7.8 rebounds per game, which gives us a huge edge with this pick. He's also gone Over this total in 26 of 33 games, which is also another feather in our cap. Current form is also in our favor, as Saxen has grabbed 6 rebounds or more in 8 of his last 11 games.
We've got some market support on our side as well with this pick. Unibet is pricing this prop at 6.5 instead of 5.5. That indicates that there's clear value on the Over.
Julian Strawther (Gonzaga) OVER 1.5 Made 3-Pointers
You have to love a 6-7 guard who can shoot the rock! That's what we have here with Strawther, who is shooting 42.6% from downtown this season. The Las Vegas native is also averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers per game.
Strawther has made two 3-pointers or more in 21 of 33 games this year. He's also gone over this total in 5 of his last 8 games. That's probably why FanDuel is listing this Over at -205!
Grand Canyon has a nice squad, but they aren't going to be able to hold down a mighty offense like Gonzaga's. They rank just 67th at defending the three, so Strawther should be able to find plenty of open looks from beyond the arc.
