A known prerequisite for a deep NCAA Tournament run is strong guard play.
After cashing on Wisconsin's John Blackwell on Thursday, three guards I'll be backing today are Memphis' PJ Haggerty, North Carolina's Elliot Cadeau and Bryant's Earl Timberlake.
Haggerty will be asked to carry the load with Memphis missing one of its top three scorers. Cadeau will take pressure off RJ Davis, and Timberlake will look to help Bryant pull off a shocking upset of Michigan State.
Read on for NCAA Tournament player props for Friday, March 21.
NCAA Tournament Player Props — 3/21
- PJ Haggerty Over 20.5 Points (-125, Fanatics)
- Elliot Cadeau Over 8.5 Points (-125, DraftKings)
- Earl Timberlake Over 13.5 Points (-130, BetMGM)
Memphis Player Prop: PJ Haggerty Over 20.5 Points
2 p.m., TBS | vs. Colorado State
Haggerty's school may change, but his ability to get buckets has not.
After averaging 21.2 points at Tulsa, the redshirt sophomore is averaging 21.8 points as the nation's third-leading scorer. Remember that average came while playing most of the season with backcourt mate Tyrese Hunter, who will be unavailable for this first-round matchup.
Haggerty averages 14.6 field goal attempts for the season but took 22 shots in the AAC Tournament Championship after Hunter went down. He's also not far removed from a 42-point outburst against Wichita State in the AAC quarterfinals.
Adding to his scoring prowess is his immense ability to draw contact and get to the foul line. He has averaged eight free throw attempts per game this season and has knocked down 82% of them.
Haggerty has scored 21 points in five of his last eight games, with at least 18 in nine of his previous 10 games. He's already going over this line on average.
Now, he'll have to carry a heavier workload without Hunter.
With that in mind, it's worth sprinkling on his ladder, with Fanatics having him for 25 points at +175 and up to 32 points at +700 odds.
Pick: PJ Haggerty Over 20.5 Points (-125, Fanatics)
UNC Player Prop: Elliot Cadeau Over 8.5 Points
4:05 p.m., TNT | vs. Ole Miss
Davis is the third all-time leading scorer in ACC history.
In North Carolina's First Four victory over San Diego State, Davis put on a vintage performance, going 6-for-6 from 3 en route to 26 points. Davis has led the Tar Heels in scoring in the last two seasons and will likely be Ole Miss' defense's focus.
A beneficiary of that attention may be Cadeau.
The sophomore floor general would prefer to pass it, as he averages 6.2 assists per game, which ranks 15th nationally. However, he's gone over this points line on average, with 9.5 points an outing. He's scored nine points in 22-of-36 (61%) games this season, including the last two entering today's game.
As a team, UNC has been on fire from 3-point range of late, which fueled its controversial inclusion into the NCAA Tournament field.
However, teams have still shown a willingness to leave him open, and this season, he's been more capable of making them pay. Cadeau is shooting 45.5% from the field and 34.1% from 3 — a 15% increase from his freshman season.
Cadeau made three triples in UNC's ACC Tournament semifinal loss to Duke. While I wouldn't expect many today, that would cash today's line.
If Chris Beard leaves Cadeau open here, he may have to be more aggressive to help the Tar Heels advance to the Round of 32.
Pick: Elliot Cadeau Over 8.5 Points (-125, DraftKings)
Bryant Player Prop: Earl Timberlake Over 13.5 Points
10 p.m., TBS | vs. Michigan State
In the America East Conference Tournament, Timberlake scored at least 17 points in all three games to help the Bulldogs claim an automatic bid. He's averaged 15.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists a game this season.
While he can fill the stat sheet in all areas, I'll focus on his points here.
Entering this first-round matchup, Timberlake has scored at least 14 points in seven of his last nine games, nearly matching his 78% hit rate for the season.
Getting there tonight will prove tougher than most nights against Michigan State. The Spartans enter the NCAA Tournament fifth in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency.
A big reason is that they've held opponents to 28% from 3, the fifth-best mark in Division I.
While some may argue that Michigan State is due for some regression back to the mean with its 3-point defense, it likely won't be applicable here, as Timberlake attempts less than one 3-point attempt per game.
Attacking MSU inside the arc should be more palatable, where it ranks 107th nationally in 2-point percentage defense.
Timberlake's ability to get the basket may also help him get to the foul line, where he attempts almost five per game to lead the team.
That aggressiveness should also help him get to 14 points.
Pick: Earl Timberlake Over 13.5 Points (-130, BetMGM)
