Welcome back to another night of college basketball action as we dive into top CBB DFS picks for Thursday night. The Big East-Big 12 Battle is the headliner for this college basketball DFS slate plus we have some exciting Top-25 teams in action tonight. #16 Creighton faces Oklahoma State in the marquee game, but we also will see #13 Florida Atlantic take on Liberty and Texas State visits #16 Texas. It's an 8-game slate on DraftKings while FanDuel has a 3-game slate. Let's dive into all the top CBB DFS picks and value plays at the guard and forward positions tonight. All college basketball odds below are via DraftKings Sportsbook when publishing. Good luck with your college basketball DFS lineups tonight!

 

College Basketball DFS Slate – November 30, 2023

  • 6p ET – Liberty @ Florida Atlantic (-7.5)145.5 O/U
  • 6:30p ET – Texas Tech @ Butler (-1.5) 139.0 O/U
  • 7p ET – UNC Wilmington (-1.0) @ East Carolina 143.0 O/U
  • 7p ET – South Florida @ Hofstra (-5.5) 146.5 O/U
  • 9p ET – Creighton (-8.0) @ Oklahoma State 142.0 O/U
  • 9p ET – Texas State @ Texas (-19.0) 137.5 O/U
  • 9p ET – Hawaii @ Utah (-11.5) 142.5 O/U
  • 9p ET – UC Davis @ Oregon State (-2.5) 137.0 O/U

Top KenPom Team Totals

  1. Utah 81.00
  2. Hofstra 77.00
  3. Florida Atlantic 76.50
  4. Texas 76.00
  5. Creighton 73.00
  6. UNC-Wilmington 72.00
  7. East Carolina 71.00
  8. Butler 70.25


COLLEGE BASKETBALL CBB DFS PICKS

CBB DFS Top Guards

Tyler Thomas - Hofstra vs. USF ($9.2K DK)

There was concern as to who would fill the void of 20.2 point per game scorer Aaron Estrada at Hofstra this season. Well just like Norman Richardson did over 20 years ago when now-coach Speedy Claxton for the NBA, Tyler Thomas has flawlessly taken over the reigns as the alpha for the Pride basketball program. Thomas stepping up as the go-to for Hofstra basketball isn't surprising as provided scoring down the stretch of the team’s run to the CAA regular season championship last year. He’s now taken it to another level as his 40-point performance in the Hofstra Gulf Coast Showcase championship-round defeat of High Point was the 19th in program history, and the first 40-point game in Div. I this season. Thomas also went for 30 points in the Gulf Coast Showcase semifinal win over Wright State and his 25-point per game average now for the season ranks third nationally, and Thomas is second in the nation in made 3-pointers per game at 4.5. With a coveted 30/30 (30.2% usage and 33.6% shot rate) Thomas is a trop guard pay up as he faces 2-2 South Florida.

Elijah Pepper – UC Davis @ Oregon State ($8.1K DK)

Elijah Pepper, one of the top scorers ever out of UC-Davis, finished first-team All-Big West last year after finishing second team his previous two seasons. His 22.5 points (a school record) were fourth in all of Division Men’s basketball last season, and he hasn’t missed a beat this year as he leads the Big West in scoring with a 22.8 mark to go along with 5.0 rebounds per game. Pepper may not be a household name, but he is a stud. He carries a 26.2% usage and 36.3% shot rate and has not gone under 26 DK points yet this season. Pepper plays nearly every minute and is coming off a 43 DK point game against Sacramento State where he stuffed the stat sheer for 22 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Pop Isaacs - Texas Tech @ Butler ($6.6K DK/5.9K FD)

Pop Isaacs has been at the forefront of Texas Tech’s basketball makeover under new coach Grant McCasland. The 6-foor-2 sophomore from Las Vegas is now joined by fellow Vegas native and AAU teammate Darrion Williams making a talented combo for the Red Raiders. $6.2K is a solid price point for Isaacs especially as he comes into tonight’s game against Butler carrying a 29% usage and 30.0% shot rate to go along with an 18.9% assist rate. He was the hero in Tech’s improbable win its second game at the Battle 4 Atlantis when he hit a running one-handed shot with just under a second to play to beat Northern Iowa. Will we see more heroics tonight in the Big East-Big 12 battle?

Other Top CBB DFS Guards

Baylor Scheierman, Creighton ($9.9K DK/8.2K FD)- Scheierman is a stat sheet stuffer with a 26.5% usage/27.1% shot rate and 35.35 DK point average over his last five games. 

Trey Alexander, Creighton ($9.5K DK/7.8J FD)- Alexander is a stud for Creighton and has a 27.5% usage/26.6% shot rate with a 40.45 DK point average over his last five games. 

Johnell Davis, Florida Atlantic ($8.3K DK/6.9J FD)- Davis has a 26.1% usage/25.1% shot rate.

Max Abmas, Texas ($7.8K DK)- Abmas has a 26.1% shot/19.1% assist rate.

Rollie Worster, Utah ($7.7K DK)- Worster is averaging 30 DK points over his last five and at least 21 DK points in every game this season. A top point per dollar play at only $7.7K DK.

Pierre Brooks II G/F- Butler ($6.9K DK/6.6K FD) – Brooks, a Michigan State transfer, has 38 and 32 DK points over his last two games and is starting to break out. He is emerging as an All-Big East type player with the strength to score in close and the athleticism to attack the rim off the dribble.

Jaquan Carlos, Hofstra ($7.5K DK)- Carlos flies under the radar with a 26.4% assist rate and 37.3/40.3 DK points in his last two games.

TY Johnson, UC-Davis ($7.3K DK)- Johnson is a sneaky play since pepper gets all the attention at UC-Davis. He comes into tonight’s game as a 30/30 man with a 33.2% usage (21st in the nation) and a 33.1% shot rate (49th in the nation). 

 

CBB DFS Value Guards

Darlinstone Dubar - Hofstra vs. USF ($5.9K DK)

Darlinstone Dunbar has scored in double figures every game this season and 10 days ago exploded for a career high 30 points in a 102-68 win over Buffalo at the Gulf Coast Showcase. Dubar, who went from a little used freshman forward at Iowa State to a key guard/forward at Hofstra, became the first Hofstra player to score 30 or more points since Aaron Estrada did last January against Elon University. It is very evident that Dubar put work in over the summer as he has become a surprising scoring side kick to team Alpha Tyler Thomas. 

JoVon McClanahan - Hawaii @ Utah ($5.9K DK)

JoVon McClanahan joined Hawaii prior to the 2020-2021 season out of Sheridan College in Wyoming, choosing the Rainbows over programs like Washington State, UC Santa Barbara, Utah Valley, Cal State Fullerton and Montana State. He went on to average 11.3 points, 3.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game last year (his first full season as a starter at UH) and became one of the Big West Conference’s most polished midrange players. Enter the 2023-24 season and McClanahan has taken it to another level. He leads the team with a 25.7% usage rate and is now 59th in the nation with an assist rate of 32.4%. He has scored over 24 DK points in three of his five games played this season and is coming off a season best 30 fantasy points when he scored 17 points on three rebounds, four assists and two steals against San Diego. 

Jordan Mason - Texas State @ Texas ($4.2K DK)

Last Saturday Jordan Mason made his season debut after missing the first six games due to injury. He came off the bench and made an immediate impact, scoring 21 points and adding three assists as Texas State beat Texas Arlington 73-66. It’s only been one game, but Mason caught a 27% usage rate when on the court and even though this is a tough matchup, we get a nice $4.2K salary on a slate this is lacking major value.

Other CBB DFS Value Guards:

DJ Davis, Butler ($5.8K DK/5.8K FD)- Davis has double-digit DK points in every game with two over 30. He plays nearly 30 minutes per game.

Bobby Pettiford Jr., East Carolina ($5.1K DK)- Pettiford Jr. has a 27.6% assist rate in an up and down season. Check out his DK points over his six games played- 11; 23; 12; 27; 11; 27 and 11. If numbers do not lie this could be a 25+ fantasy point night.

Joseph Venzant, Liberty ($4.6K DK/5.3K FD)- Playing 20 minutes a game Venzant is coming off a 31 DK point double-double game against MD Eastern (12 points/11 rebounds). 

Kane Milling, UC-Davis ($4.4K DK)- Milling plays nearly every minute of every game and that’s what you like to see in a $4-$5K player. He averages 18 DK points with a 4.5% block rate.

Brody Peeples, Liberty ($4.2K DK/5.1K FD)- Peeples comes off the bench but has a near elite 28% shot rate when in the game with 28.2% usage over the last five where he is averaging 22 DK points. 

 

CBB DFS Top Forwards

Branden Carlson - Utah vs. Hawaii ($8.5K DK)

Branden Carlson just destroyed the Charleston Classic, and it earned him last week’s Pac-12 Player of the week honor. In three total games played, Carleson averaged 23.3 points per game as he opened the tourney with a career high 31 points along with 4 rebounds and 5 blocks against Wake Forest. The big guy followed up that performance with 17 points against #6 Houston while also pulling down 8 rebounds and two steals. Carlson was also the lead scorer in Utah’s final contest posting game-high 22 points with 8 rebounds against St. John’s. He is still just too cheap at sub $9K on DraftKings for a player with a 27.2% usage/28.6% shot rate and 17.9% defensive rebounding/4.7% block rate. Some may roll Ryan Kalkbrenner in the top spot tonight, but I am Team Carlson all the way with Utah’s 81-point team total. 

Trazarien White – UNC Wilmington @ East Carolina ($6.9K DK)

Trazarien White is a leading contender to win the Coastal Athletic Associate Player of the Year award as the kid can do it all. He's a prolific scorer with the ability to slash, get to the offensive glass and create contact and shoot from the perimeter plus he's an elite rebounder at his position. White's season is off to a strong start as he is putting up 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game to go along with a 28.6% usage/28.8% shot rate and 18.3% defensive rebound rate.

Zach Cleveland - Liberty @ Florida Atlantic ($6.1K DK/6.8K FD)

As a freshman last season Zach Cleveland missed a good chunk of the season due to mono but he became a reliable weapon in March, especially in Liberty’s signature win over Villanova when he scored six points and pulled down 12 rebounds. This is a potential all-conference player that has been crushing since the season started. Cleveland has a 27.4% defensive rebound rate (29th in the nation) for a combined 35% overall rebound. That’s not all as the stat sheet stuffer has a 21.9% assist rate and 3.5% steal rate (all nationally ranked). With a 26 DK point average over his last five games Cleveland just flies under the radar and is one of the top point per dollar forwards on the slate.

Other Top CBB DFS Forwards:

Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton ($8.3K DK/8.0K FD)- Kalkbrenner is national ranked with a 9.7% offensive rebound and 5.3% block rate. He is averaging 29.2 DK points over his last five games.

Kadin Shedrick, Texas ($6.4K DK)- Shedrick is averaging 42 DK points over his last two games and has a 27% usage rate over his last five. 

Pierre Brooks II G/F- Butler ($6.9K DK) – Brooks, a Michigan State transfer, has 38 and 32 DK points over his last two games and is starting to break out. He is emerging as an All-Big East type of player with the strength to score in close and the athleticism to attack the rim off the dribble.

Kyle Rode, Liberty ($7.5K DK/7.9K FD)- Rode can bury the three (44% from beyond the perimeter) to go along with a 25.2% usage/27/2% shot rate.

Jahmyl Telfort, Butler ($7.1K DK)- Telfort has a solid floor as he has only gone below 24 DK points once this season. He plays 30+ minutes and is averaging over 25 DK points in his last five games.

 

CBB DFS Value Forwards

Devan Cambridge – Texas Tech @ Texas ($5.6K DK/5.7K FD)

After three seasons at Auburn and another at Arizona State Deven Cambridge has landed at Texas Tech. Bounceman, as he is called by teammates and fans has been averaging 25-30 minutes and is one of the Red Raiders main rebounders at 8.0 per game to go along with a combined 21.8% rebound rate and 3.8% block rate. He is coming off his best game of the season when he smoked Michigan for 17 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block for 35 DK points. It may be a road game at Texas, but Devan Cambridge is just too cheap at $5.6K on DraftKings.

Other CBB DFS Value Forwards:

Lawson Lovering, Utah ($5.8K DK)- With a 26% usage rate Lovering has been a solid under $6K value with an 18.2% defensive rate on the season plus has a 32 DK point game and two 23 DK point games under his belt. 

Brandon Garrison, Oklahoma State ($5.3K DK/5.0K FD)- Garrison is coming off a 31 DK point against Houston Baptist and averages nearly 17 DK points a game over his last five. 

Niko Rocak, UC-Davis ($4.2K DK)- Rocak has been in double-digit fantasy points every game this season and is 50th in the nation with a 14.8% offensive rebound rate. This is my top dart at the forward position.

Ben Carlson, Utah ($4.0K DK)- Carlson averages about 20 minutes per game but gets it done when he’s in the game with a 9.8% offensive rebound rate. He is averaging 14 DK points over his last five games.

 

DraftKings Core

  • Zach Cleveland, Liberty
  • Darlinstone Dubar, Hofstra (Value)
  • Branden Carlson, Utah

FanDuel Core

  • Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
  • Johnell Davis, Florida Atlantic
  • Brandon Garrison, Oklahoma State (Value)