The first day of the NCAA Tournament had it all, as we saw madness throughout the slate. While we're eager to do it all over again today, the one thing that we need to add is some wins after taking the reverse sweep in Thursday's article.
However, the odds are in our favor again, so let's dive into our top NCAA Tournament player props for Friday's March Madness games.
Friday NCAA Tournament Player Prop Picks
In the table below, you'll find each of the top player prop picks that Action Network's Doug Ziefel is targeting from Friday's slate of NCAA Tournament games. Click on any pick or team logo to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Time (ET) | Player Prop |
|---|---|
| 12:40 p.m. | |
| 1:45 p.m. | |
| 9:55 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | |
Colgate vs. Baylor
Braeden Smith
Over 4.5 Assists
We're getting started early in the slate with Colgate's Braeden Smith.
Smith has shown he can do it all for the Raiders, and if they want to hang around against Baylor today, he'll need to have the ball in his hands nearly every time down the floor.
While Smith is one of the top scoring options, the sophomore can facilitate with the best of them. His assist rate ranks 15th in the nation.
On top of that, Baylor is a team to attack for assists because it's over 2% percent worse than the nation's average in assist-to-field-goals-made ratio.
In addition to the favorable matchup, we're getting a tremendous price that we can capitalize on. Smith averaged 5.8 assists per game this season and exceeded this mark in 76% of games.
That hit rate gives us a staggering edge with implied odds of -317.
Pick: Braeden Smith Over 4.5 Assists (+100)
UAB vs. San Diego State
Darrion Trammell
Under 1.5 3s
At this point in the season, it's not often that sportsbooks hang lines that are complete mistakes. However, that's what we have here with Darion Trammell.
A senior, Trammell has seen his role in the offense diminish this season. His minutes are down, and more importantly, his shot attempts have also decreased. He averages just 3.4 3-point attempts per game and is not hyper-efficient with them either, shooting just 30.4% from beyond the arc.
However, his lack of volume is just icing on the cake here. Trammell has gone under this number in 81% of games this season. That hit rate gives us implied odds of -426 that he'll stay under again today.
Lastly, you can tell this price is wrong, as most other books are around -155 or -165 higher. Although, if you want to take this up to -160, the odds are still very much in your favor.
Pick: Darrion Trammell Under 1.5 3s (-135)
TCU vs. Utah State
Chuck O'Bannon
Under 9.5 Points
Matchups between 8- and 9-seeds are always highly anticipated. They're typically tightly contested, and both teams are hungry to move on.
While this game will likely be a sweat for backers of either side, one man you won't have to worry about is TCU's Chuck O'Bannon.
O'Bannon is a role player off the bench for the Horned Frogs and has played just 32% of the minutes this season. Despite shooting efficiently from the floor, he has averaged only four shot attempts per game.
In all, O'Bannon averaged 5.6 points per game this season and has gone under this number in 80% of games. Starting forwards Emanuel Miller and Micah Peavy are healthy, so it's baffling that his point total is listed this high.
His hit rate to the under gives us implied odds of -400 that he will go under this number again, rounding out our card with a smash play.
Pick: Chuck O'Bannon Under 9.5 Points (-130)
