We saw some excitement in the first round, with some games coming down to the wire and a couple of upsets. The journey marches on as teams compete to try and make it through the first weekend and a trip to the Sweet 16. We’ll look at some players who may or may not make an impact in the NCAA Tournament props market.
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Sunday’s Best NCAA Tournament Player Prop Bets
(Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Mark Sears Over 16.5 Points (-114)
Alabama had a scare in the first round, and they could have been part of the biggest upset ever in the first round. No. 15 Robert Morris had a lead halfway through the second half, but the Crimson Tide pressed on the gas and pulled away with a 90-81 win.
It’s all about the offense for Alabama. They were the top-scoring offense in the country with 91.2 points per game, thanks to their fast pace of play per game (78.8). This game will be a huge test as they take on Saint Mary's. The Gaels are one of the toughest defenses in the country, as their adjusted defensive efficiency ranking is seventh, according to KenPom.
Alabama played four teams ranked in the top ten in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency rankings (Tennessee, Texas A&M, Florida, Houston). Alabama's leader Mark Sears played very well against each of them, averaging 26 points per game. Sears should play a large role in what could be a close matchup.
Kyan Evans Under 12.5 Points (-132)
One of the first-round upsets came from the Rams of Colorado State as they took down Memphis as the No. 12 seed. If you look at the team statistics in that game, Memphis and Colorado State were either close or Colorado State held the advantage in every category except one: Three-point shooting. The Rams hit 11 threes and shot 36.7% from behind the arc compared to the Tigers, hitting six on 26.1% shooting from deep.
Kyan Evans led the team, going 6-for-9 in that matchup, and is the team's best three-point shooter at 44.4%. The matchup against Memphis was favorable for Evans' style of play, as they were 241st in three-pointers allowed per game (eight), but Maryland is much different. The Terrapins come in allowing 6.5 threes per game (40th) and rank 20th in opponent three-point percentage (30.4%).
Maryland will always have someone covering Evans when he moves to the perimeter because the three is Colorado State's best way of staying competitive in this game. That could be the reason he has a quiet night.
Alex Karaban Under 18.5 Points (-118)
The two-time defending champs will have a difficult journey to becoming the first team to win three in a row since 1973. They went through a Southeastern Conference (SEC) team in the first round by beating Oklahoma, but now they are facing the SEC conference champions Florida, who is the No. 1 team in the region.
The Sooners weren't good on defense, but they kept it close with the Huskies. Now they face the Gators, who are 10th in adjusted defensive efficiency rankings and sixth in opponent effective field goal percentage.
Alex Karaban is a key part of the offense because he is very versatile. He has an excellent pull-up jump shot but can also drive the lane. He's had some clutch shots late in games recently but struggled early on. This could be a game where he never gets comfortable against one of the best teams in this tournament.
