College basketball season is in full swing with a full schedule of action across tonight’s Wednesday slate. It is a bit of a quieter night, but four ranked teams are still suiting up as well as a few other notable games. There are plenty of ways to get involved in the college basketball action on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here are my top three player prop picks ahead of the December 17th slate.
Best CBB Player Prop Bets:
Tre Carroll to Record 6+ Rebounds (-135)
Creighton and Xavier are facing off in a Big East battle tonight. Tre Carroll has established himself as the foundation of Xavier’s production in the early parts of the season. The Florida International transfer is averaging 16.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists across his first 11 seasons with the program. Carroll has tallied as many as 10 rebounds in a game, recorded 6+ boards in five of the 11 games overall, and three straight matchups entering tonight.
Looking at the matchup, Creighton ranks 164th in opponents’ points allowed at 72.6 points per game. They also have struggled greatly on the boards, ranking 172nd in rebounds per game and 276th in opponents’ rebounds allowed. In the previous matchup, Kansas State had two players tally 6+ rebounds against Creighton, and Oregon had four players tally at least six rebounds in their matchup with the Bluejays.
Expect Carroll to assert himself on the boards again tonight. While Filip Borovicanin leads the team with 7.4 rebounds per game, he was also limited to just two rebounds against Cincinnati. As a result, Borovicanin will likely see the most attention in keeping him off the boards. Creighton is not a particularly impressive shooting team, ranking 245th in field goal percentage and 234th in three-point percentage, so the rebounding opportunities will be there. Count on Carroll to have success attacking the glass and pulling in 6+ rebounds for the fourth straight game and sixth time this season.
Labaron Philon to Record 22+ Points (-115)
A cross-state rivalry will be taking place tonight as Alabama squares off with South Alabama. There will be plenty of points to go around with the game total set at 181.5, with both teams ranking in the top 28 of scoring. Each side likes to push the pace and get out in transition. Both teams also have some defensive struggles, with the two teams ranking 316th and 326th in opposing points allowed.
Count on Labaron Philon to continue to be at the heart of the production for the Crimson Tide. The 6-foot-4 guard leads the SEC with 21.7 points per game, along with 5.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and shooting 41.5% from beyond the three-point arc. Philon flirted with entering the NBA Draft last year, but elected to return to Alabama and has taken his game to new heights this year.
The former SEC All-Freshman team member has tallied 22+ points in six of the 10 games this season, and as many as 29 in a matchup this year. This game plays to his strength stylistically, and count on Alabama continuing to push the pace to have plenty of offensive opportunities. Alabama will only go as far as Philon will take them and he has had plenty of success scoring against stiffer defenses this year. Buckle up for plenty of points in this matchup throughout, and for Philon to be responsible for at least 22 for the seventh time this year.
Donovan Dent to Record 25+ Points & Assists (+200)
The UCLA Bruins landed Donovan Dent in the transfer portal after he spent the first three seasons of his collegiate career with New Mexico. It has not been the start to his UCLA tenure that was hoped. The reigning Mountain West Player of the Year is averaging 12.0 points and 6.8 assists across his first nine games with the Bruins. Dent has struggled shooting the basketball, connecting on just 37.0% of his shots from the field and just an ice-colt 7.7% from beyond the three-point arc. For a guy who shot above 50% from the field in his first two seasons in college and 40.9% from beyond the three-point arc last year, this feels like an outlier shooting stretch.
UCLA will be hosting Arizona State tonight, who offer a solid chance for Dent to get back on track. The Sun Devils are giving up 73.6 points per game, which ranks 198th out of the 365 D1 teams. They also rank 188th in opponents’ field goal percentage and 102nd in opponents’ three-point percentage.
Even with his shooting struggles, Dent has tallied 25+ combined points and assists in two of the nine games. He has done a nice job of leaning on his playmaking, with the shot not falling, coming off a season-high 10 assists in the previous game, and at least seven assists in six of the nine games. His track record as a shooter at New Mexico is strong, and he will begin hitting with more consistency soon. Arizona State’s defense offers a strong chance to get back on track, and look for Dent to take full advantage of this. Getting +200 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook is solid value, and don’t be surprised if Dent turns in his best game as a Bruin thus far.
