March Madness begins in earnest Thursday, March 21 with 16 games tipping off across the day. That gives bettors plenty of opportunities when it comes to finding the best player props to target. Here’s a look at a few of our favorite plays for the day’s action, with odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
2024 March Madness Picks
Best player prop bets for Thursday in first round
Armando Bacot over 9.5 rebounds vs. Wagner (-115)
The obvious concern here for the UNC big man is the likelihood this becomes a blowout rather quickly, which would potentially lead the Tar Heels to bench their top players. However, Bacot has gone over this mark 10 times in the last 13 games and has a favorable matchup against Wagner. The Seahawks have just one player listed at 6-10, and he plays 10 minutes per game. Bacot should dominate here.
Reed Sheppard over 2.5 3-pointers vs. Oakland (+124)
The Kentucky point guard is shooting 52.5% from deep on the season, so he’s not going to need too many attempts to pay off on this prop. The Golden Grizzlies rank 199th in college basketball when it comes to opponent three-point percentage, but that’s a bit misleading as opponents shoot 33.9% against Oakland from deep. I see Sheppard getting good looks early and often in this matchup, helping him go over this mark.
Tamin Lipsey over 1.5 steals vs. South Dakota State (-175)
South Dakota State gives up about 6.7 steals per game to opponents, which puts the Jackrabbits in the 200 range nationally. Iowa State ranks second in the country in steals per game, and no one is better at picking pockets than Lipsey. He’s grabbing 2.8 steals per game and has gone over this line nine times in the last 11 games. Unfortunately, there’s no alternate line to get a better payout but Lipsey should have a field day in this matchup.
Hunter Dickinson 35+ points + rebounds + assists vs. Samford (+110)
Kansas’ star big man averaged 18 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in the regular season. He’s a “full go” according to Bill Self, meaning there should be no injury concerns surrounding Dickinson. With Kevin McCullar Jr. sidelined and Samford looking like a trendy upset pick among many, Dickinson probably needs to put up a big stat line to give the Jayhawks a win. His actual line is 33.5, but you can get a better payout for just one additional PRA on the over.
Trey Alexander over 4.5 assists vs. Akron (-110)
Alexander leads the Bluejays in assists per game, although he’s not a true point guard for this team in terms of setting up everyone offensively. Creighton plays well off each other, making it tough to pinpoint who might be distributing the ball the most per game. Alexander went over this mark seven times in the last 12 games, with two unders coming at four assists. Akron is in the top 50 in opponent assists allowed per game so the matchup is less than ideal but I like Alexander to hit the over.