Say what you will about this year’s NCAA Tournament. Some have complained about a lack of upsets or how Zach Edey’s brand of basketball isn’t any fun to watch.

Well we’ve certainly got the two best teams in college basketball facing off on Monday night for the National Championship. So I sure am not going to complain.

We finished 3-2 in the Final Four. Dropping the March Madness props record to 13-2. I’m here now to find you as many college basketball player prop trends as possible. Let’s dive in.

NCAAM Player Prop: Donovan Clingan Points

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. That’s what I’m doing here when it comes to opposing centers against Zach Edey. They either find themselves in foul trouble or fail to be efficient, the ladder was the case for DJ Burns on Saturday night.

Clingan took advantage of a significant size mismatch against Alabama and tallied 18 points on 14 shots. He had only taken 14+ shots one other time this season.

Now he’ll be going head-to-head with Zach Edey. A matchup we’re all very excited to see. Clingan brings plenty to the table but I have concerns with his ability to be physical enough in the paint to find those easy buckets.

He’s also not one to be on the floor nearly as long as Edey. Averaging roughly 25 minutes per game during the NCAA Tournament.

Clingan is a likely lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft, but I don’t think he’s polished enough as a scorer. Lacking the touch to put up points when he isn’t inside the cylinder.

NCAAM Player Prop: Tristen Newton Assists

Being that we are this deep into the college basketball season and having the chance to watch these two teams intently the last few weeks, there are things you can pickup on.

For me with Purdue, it isn’t just about opposing centers performance. I’ve found that when opponents are scoring against the Boilermakers they are assisted buckets. The numbers back that up, 54.7% of Purdue’s opponents made field goals are assisted, which ranks 281st in college basketball.

Newton has been a dynamic playmaker for the Huskies all season long. His 31.3% assist rate is top-50 amongst all players in the nation.

If you’re interested in playing this. I also noticed that in his last 15 games, every time he’s gone over 5.5 assists he’s also going over 7.5 assists. So this could be a good alternate line/ladder opportunity.

NCAAM Player Prop: Cam Spencer Points

If Clingan isn’t scoring and Newton is going to be racking up assists, someone else has to be the one scoring right? I think that guy is going to be Cam Spencer.

Spencer is a consistent scorer at all levels of the floor. Hes taken 10+ shots in 8 of his last 10 games and when he takes double digit shots he’s over this number in 78% of games this season.

He’s also a very efficient shooter that can weather this difficult matchup. Shooting 54.1% from 2PT and 44.3% from 3PT range.

With Edey’s presence around the rim you need to find players that can score in the mid range and beyond the arc. Spencer is that player.

NCAAM Player Prop: Fletcher Loyer Points

Now it’s time to dive into Purdue’s offense. UConn has the 2nd best interior defense in college basketball, their opponents are shooting just 43%.

When you look at the Huskies opponents during their tournament run, it’s been guards that can score on the outside that have found success. Mark Sears, Marcus Domask, Micah Parrish, Ryan Langborg.

Loyer is a very capable perimeter scorer when called upon, shooting 44.7% from beyond the arc.

I also think this number is a touch too low based on his shooting volume. Purdue has been riding their starters a fair bit in the last few games. Loyer played just 25 minutes in their blowout win over Grambling State but has now played 33+ minutes in every game since.

He’s averaging 9.3 FGA/G over these last four games and as a capable shooter I like the opportunity he has in this game.

NCAAM Player Prop: Mason Gillis Points

Mason Gillis is a player I’ve backed on multiple occasions this tournament. Including Saturday night when he went over his 1.5 3PTM line.

But I’m looking to go the other way in this spot. Although UConn has a strong interior defense they actually don’t give up a lot of 3PT shots, just 33.4% of opponent shots are from three (50th).

Gillis is used solely as a spot up shooter. He does not do much of any creating off the dribble and is asked to play a catch and shoot role.

That’s also not a great sign against the Huskies. Just 45.1% of opponent made field goals are assisted, which is 44th in the nation. This means those catch and shoot opportunities will be few and far between.

Gillis shot volume is already quite low in this tournament, taking just 3.6 per game. He needs to make at the very least two threes to clear this number and I think there’s a good chance his volume is even lower here.

Thanks to Tyler MacKillop for this article. He can be found on X @TylerMacKillop

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