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DFS Picks: Top Sleeper plays for the weekend SEC hoops slate (Jan. 25)
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Saturday features a full slate of SEC basketball. Ranked Kentucky and Texas A&M teams hit the road in potential upset spots. Ole Miss and Mizzou clash in a ranked-on-ranked matchup in Columbia. Tennessee and Auburn clash in a battle of top-6 teams in the evening.
Below, you’ll find 4 player props to consider across the slate. Each of the 4 plays below can be found within the Sleeper app. Use our exclusive Sleeper promo code SOUTHXL to unlock a sign-up offer that scores you $55 in bonus entries when you play your first $5 contest.
Texas guard Tre Johnson higher than 15.5 points
The 6-foot-6 guard is averaging 18.2 points per game this season. He had 26 a few weeks ago against Tennessee and followed that performance up with consecutive 16-point games. He shot just 3-for-15 in the win over Missouri last Tuesday and managed only 12 points. That game represented a low point in a shooting slump for Johnson, who has connected on just 4 of his last 18 attempts from beyond the arc. He made 4 triples in the Tennessee game. Johnson is a capable 3-point shooter and I think he has a chance to snap out of the funk on Saturday against Texas A&M. The Aggies allow nearly 27 3-point attempts per game to opponents. In terms of volume, they’re content to let opponents hoist long-range shots. They’re 61st in 3-point percentage defense, so the math has worked through the first half of their season. Johnson is going to get his looks.
Kentucky guard Koby Brea higher than 8.5 points
Brea is shooting 47.2% from beyond the arc this season for Kentucky, the second-best clip of any Division I player. He has been maddeningly streaky, going for 23 against Florida and then producing just 14 combined points in his next 3 games. While streaky, Brea is a threat to go nuclear if the 3-ball is falling. He has 5 games already this season with at least 4 makes from beyond the arc. Vanderbilt ranks 297th in 3-point defense this season, with opponents connecting on 35.4% of their triples.
Kentucky forward Amari Williams higher than 8.5 rebounds
Williams has posted double-digit boards in each of his last 3 games. He’s coming off a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double against Alabama that featured 5 offensive boards. The 6-foot-10 big man from the UK is averaging a career-best 8.8 rebounds per game this season for Big Blue while grabbing multiple offensive boards a game. Kentucky is top-20 nationally in team rebounding. By comparison, Vanderbilt is rather pedestrian as a rebounding team. And Vandy doesn’t really have a ton of options to throw at Williams inside. Devin McGlockton mans the 5 spot for the Commodores and Williams will have 3 inches of height and more than 30 pounds of mass to his advantage in the matchup. Vandy has been outrebounded in 4 of its last 5 games and I see that trend continuing against the Wildcats.
Florida guard Alijah Martin lower than 15.5 points
Martin is averaging 18 points per game in conference play thus far for Florida while shooting a scorching 39.1% from beyond the arc. But the Gators have only seen 1 top-20 defense during their start to league play. Georgia comes in with the 14th-ranked defense in the country, per KenPom’s adjusted efficiency metrics. The Bulldogs are in the top 10 in effective field goal percentage defense and they rank sixth in 3-point defense. They’re holding opponents to sub-30% shooting from beyond the arc and keeping them from getting to the free throw line. Through 6 league games, 65% of Martin’s scoring has come from either the 3-point line or the free throw line. Georgia’s guards are all big bodies who can challenge Florida’s perimeter players. I think the Bulldogs have the tools to make Florida work for every point it gets in this matchup, and Martin will likely be at the top of the scouting report.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
