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DFS picks: Top plays on Dabble for the first round of March Madness (March 21)
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It’s time for Day 2 of the NCAA Tournament.
After a relatively-chalky Day 1 of March Madness, we still have 16 games to go before reaching the Round of 32. Friday’s slate is headlined by programs like North Carolina, Kentucky, Florida, UConn and Michigan State, but there’s no telling what kind of stars and storylines will emerge from Day 2.
Best DFS picks for March Madness on Friday, March 21
Below are 4 picks for Friday’s NCAA Tournament action that can be found on Dabble Fantasy. If you’re new to Dabble, here’s SDS’s exclusive Dabble promo code to help you earn a welcome bonus when you sign up!
RJ Davis more than 17.5 points
I’m riding the hot hand. RJ Davis had a huge night on Tuesday as he led North Carolina to a blowout win over San Diego State. He made all 6 of his 3-point attempts in that game and was completely unstoppable against an Aztecs team with an excellent defensive reputation.
Now, Davis matches up against an Ole Miss squad that leaks 3-point attempts on defense. The Rebels rank 323rd nationally in 3-point attempt rate defense. Ole Miss is also not a very good defensive rebounding team, so Davis should get some catch-and-shoot looks off of offensive rebounds in scramble situations. Davis has also scored 20 points or more in 3 of his last 5 games.
Solo Ball more than 4.5 rebounds
Solo Ball has been very good for UConn this season. Despite being listed at 6-foot-3, Ball has been good as a rebounder for the Huskies in 2024-25. He averaged 4.6 rebounds per game during the regular season, with 0.9 of those coming on the offensive glass.
Ball will be facing an Oklahoma team that really struggles to rebound the ball. OU is 277th in both offensive and defensive rebounding rate this season, per KenPom. And that’s before the Sooners lost starting center Sam Godwin to an injury a couple of weeks ago. I expect Ball will have plenty of rebounding opportunities on both sides of the floor in this game.
Otega Oweh more than 1.5 steals
Kentucky as a team was not good at forcing turnovers this season, but Otega Oweh averaged 1.6 steals per game during SEC play. He proved to be a pretty disruptive force on the perimeter this season, which has been even more true during the month of March. In his last 5 games, Oweh has 14 steals and has recorded multiple swipes in 3 of those contests.
Oweh is now matched up with a Troy team that was terrible at taking care of the rock this season. The Trojans enter Friday’s game ranked 315th in offensive steal rate, per KenPom. Now factor in Oweh’s elite athleticism and the intensity of an NCAA Tournament game and I think you’ll see Troy get a little overwhelmed on offense.
Jason Edwards less than 16.5 points
Vanderbilt guard Jason Edwards has been on a tear lately, scoring 20 or more points in each of his last couple of games. But I’m not buying his scoring upside against a Saint Mary’s defense that enters this game ranked in the top 10 nationally in adjusted efficiency.
Edwards only averaged 15.6 points per game during the regular season in SEC play and will now face an elite defense in an NCAA Tournament setting. Not helping matters is that the Gaels operate at a glacial pace, thus limiting the number of possessions where Edwards will have the ball compared to a normal SEC game.
Saint Mary’s hasn’t had much recent success in the NCAA Tournament, but it hasn’t been because of its defense. The Gaels lost to Grand Canyon last year despite holding it to just 1.06 points per 100 possessions. The year before that Saint Mary’s lost to a UConn team in the Round of 32 that had an offensive rating of just 109. This defense should translate in a March Madness setting and I think that plus the slow pace will keep Edwards lower than 16.5 points.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
