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March Madness is here as the play-in games take place tonight from Indianapolis. The good news is that Monkey Knife Fight has three of the four games on their slate.
MonkeyKnifeFight.com continues to be ahead of the curve with their canceling of contests amid postponements, so don't worry about wasting money on a player or game that might not play. As always, you can find me @ChrisWasselDFS on Twitter with any questions, especially since lines and players are subject to change throughout the day.
Tonight's featured matchups are North Carolina St. versus Davidson and UCLA vs. Michigan State. Once you're done here, be sure to also check out the rest of our NCAA Tournament articles and analysis including previews, predictions, sleepers, busts and guides on how to fill out your brackets.
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North Carolina State vs. Davidson
Jericole Hellems (N. Carolina St.) LESS 12.5 Points - Kellan Grady (Davidson) MORE 16.5 Points
This will look like a dicey pick. Now, the forward can be hard to contain at times but the last couple of games saw Jericole Hellens get to the foul line just once. He has to force the play which he did not do in the ACC Conference Tournament. The North Carolina State forward became content with taking jump shots instead of driving to the hoop. Davidson comes in 32nd in the NCAA allowing just over 63 points per game. North Carolina State is a step up in competition but Davidson's frontline is a little better than most give it credit for. The only way Hellems hits the MORE is if he gets to the foul line a few more times by creating his own shots closer to the rim.
Kellen Grady carries a good deal of risk because he can be an all-or-nothing impact on Thursday night. As good as he looked versus George Mason was as bad as he looked in the other three games sandwiched in between. That did include a disastrous two points against St. Bonaventure on a night where most Davidson players did not seem to have their best. One key for Grady may be to get to the foul line and make his foul shots. The guard was around 75-80% from the foul line his first three years but dropped to just below 66% this season. North Carolina State allows 70.3 points per game which represents a below-average defense (181st ranked). Grady shows enough potential where North Carolina State's guards could have serious issues covering him. Take the MORE.
A win here pays 3.5 times your wager.
Play the Contest Now on Monkey Knife Fight
UCLA vs. Michigan State
Johnny Juzang (UCLA) LESS 13.5 Points - Aaron Henry (Michigan St.) MORE 16.5 Points
The guard carries considerable risk on Thursday night in the late game against what can be a tough Michigan St. defense. More troubling was his play in the Pac-12 tournament where the UCLA guard had foul trouble issues. He only played 24 minutes in the loss to Oregon St. Also, he has only made one of his last 12 three-pointers and his inconsistency getting to the foul line can be infuriating -- eight times versus Colorado then two games in the conference tournament. Field goal attempts have been more stable but is that enough? Averaging 11.2 field-goal attempts make this a rough prop to be too bullish on.
The good thing for the second half of this prop is Aaron Henry. Again, Henry plays a little dangerously himself as far as foul concerns but he is averaging closer to 15 field-goal attempts a game (February and March) and gets to the line at nearly four times a contest. That extra three points a game from the foul line adds up quickly. The two losses to Oregon and Oregon State buoy hopes that Henry, who is a small forward, can create havoc by getting inside fast. UCLA was victimized repeatedly by swing guards and small forwards all season. For those reasons, Henry should hit the MORE later tonight.
A win here also pays three times the wager.
Play the Contest Now on Monkey Knife Fight
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