After the NCAA Tournament National Championship, college hoops goes away for nearly seven months. We won’t have lines, totals, or Underdog Fantasy college basketball entries until next November. This is a sport that has usually had multiple games every night for the past six months. On April 8th? Gone. Just transfer portal news and coaching changes. The good news is that we have three plays for tonight’s game that you’ll want to use for your entry. The bad news is, we won’t have plays again for a while.
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!
Underdog Fantasy College Basketball Picks April 7
Matt Dewoskin Underdog Fantasy College Basketball Pick Em Record (Est 11/4/2024)
All Pick Em Selections: 210-179-4
Perfect 3-0 Pick Em Entries: 20-111
J’Wan Roberts Higher Than 6.5 Rebounds
If Houston is going to hang with Florida, they’re going to need forward J’Wan Roberts to compete in the paint with the Florida bigs.
Roberts has gone higher than 6.5 rebounds in three out of five tournament games. He missed when he got into foul trouble against Tennessee and when he only played 20 minutes against SIUE.
Roberts comes into this game averaging 6.5 rebounds on the nose. He should see an increased usage rate in this game, so it’s fair to expect him to go higher than his season average.
Florida comes into this game allowing opponents to average 33.3 rebounds per game. That’s 94th in the nation. Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell both went higher than 6.5 rebounds in the Final Four game. JT Toppin went higher than 6.5 boards in the Elite Eight match up. Let’s ride with Roberts to get at least seven rebounds in our Underdog Fantasy college basketball entry for April 7th.
Walter Clayton Jr. Higher Than 2.5 Turnovers
The Houston Cougars come into the national championship game with a defense that generates 13.2 turnovers on average. That’s 63rd in the nation. Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. will get his points, but he’s also going to hand the ball back to Houston at least three times.
Clayton comes into this match up averaging 2.4 turnovers per game. He’s gone higher than 2.5 turnovers in three out of five tournament games. Houston turned over Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler four times in the Elite Eight. The Cougars turned over Purdue’s Braden Smith in the Sweet Sixteen three times. Duke didn’t turn the ball over much in the Final Four, but they also don’t have a traditional point guard.
Clayton is more of a combo guard than a true point guard, but he’s the primary ball handler for the Gators. Houston will do everything it can to disrupt entry passes and try to get Clayton to hand the ball back. Let’s ride with Clayton to go higher than 2.5 turnovers in tonight’s National Championship Game.
Will Richard Lower Than 16.5 Points+Rebounds+Assists
Florida Gators guard Will Richard has struggled at times in the tournament. He’s gone lower than 16.5 PRA in three out of five tournament games. He played well against UConn and Maryland, but was out there doing cardio against Auburn and Texas Tech.
Richard comes into this game averaging 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game this year. Why is this total so low? It’s simple. Houston’s defense and Richard recent run of form. He only managed 13 PRA against Auburn and 10 PRA against Texas Tech. Richard also went lower than 16.5 PRA in two out of three games against Tennessee this year.
Houston limits possessions and looks when it’s on defense. This year, they’ve allowed opponents to average only 58.5 points per game, the best mark in the nation. They also allow opponents to get only 11.4 assists and 31.4 rebounds per game.
Richard has disappeared at times against tougher defenses. He’s often the third or fourth option on offense for the Gators, and it’s hard to see him rebounding or passing his way to go higher than 16.5 PRA against Houston. The side we want to be on for our Underdog Fantasy college basketball entry is to go lower on Richard’s PRA for the national championship.
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!
