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DFS picks: Top Underdog plays for the second round of the SEC Tournament
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The SEC Tournament opened with a bang on Wednesday. Three of the 4 games were decided by 7 points or less. Bubble teams Arkansas and Oklahoma picked up some extra security. Texas kept its hope alive. Each of those 3 will have their hands full on Thursday when the second round begins.
Below are 4 DFS picks for Thursday’s games that can be found on Underdog Fantasy. If you’re new to Underdog, grab Saturday Down South‘s exclusive Underdog Fantasy promo code (SDS) that will help you earn up to $1,000 in bonus cash when you sign up!
Arkansas G DJ Wagner higher than 2.5 turnovers
The offense ran through DJ Wagner in Wednesday’s win over South Carolina. The 6-foot-4 sophomore finished with 12 shot attempts and 6 assists. The other 6 Razorbacks who saw the floor had just 7 assists between them. Wagner has stepped up in the absence of Adou Thiero — he has at least 5 assists in 3 of his last 5 games — but turnovers have been a major issue alongside that uptick in responsibility. Wagner finished the first-round game with 4 turnovers. He had 4 against Mississippi State on March 8, 4 against South Carolina on March 1, and 5 against Texas on Feb. 26. He has more than 2 in 7 of his last 8 games, and now faces an Ole Miss defense that has been among the best in the country all year at turning opponents over. The Rebels have a forced turnover rate of 20.4% on the season, the 35th-best mark in the nation. With Arkansas shorthanded, the effects of the 7-man rotation are going to be felt immediately. Wagner should have a few more giveaways.
Arkansas F Trevon Brazile higher than 15.5 points + rebounds
Trevon Brazile had his lunch stolen in the previous meeting with South Carolina. Collin Murray-Boyles bullied him on both ends of the floor, eating him up on defense and holding Brazile to just 2 points on 0-of-4 shooting. In the first round of the SEC Tournament, Brazile bounced back in a major way, making 3 of his 6 triples to fuel a 16-point, 7-rebound performance. He also had 4 steals and a block. But that wasn’t a one-off. After going 15 consecutive games in single-digit scoring, Brazile has been excellent in 4 of his last 5 — the South Caroling game notwithstanding. He had 12 and 8 against Texas, a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double against Vandy, and then an 11-point, 11-board double-double against Mississippi State. The MSU performance came in just 23 minutes. The 3-pointer has recently been a discovery for Brazile. He has hit multiple triples in 4 of his last 5 games. He has taken at least 5 in each of his last 3 games. In his first 25 appearances, Brazile took multiple 3s in a game only 8 times and he made multiple 3s in a game just once. Ole Miss opponents are shooting a large amount of 3s and making them a third of the time. This isn’t a bad 3-point defense, but it also isn’t a great 3-point defense. And Ole Miss is poor on the boards. I like Brazile to continue moving in the right direction.
Texas G Tre Johnson higher than 2.5 made 3-pointers
Texas A&M‘s defense is outstanding inside the arc. The Aggies let teams fire away from 3 (47.7% of opponent attempts) and completely take away the interior. Just 39.6% of points against the Aggies come from 2s. For Texas to remain competitive, Texas is going to have to hit its shots. Texas is a decent 3-point shooting team this season (36.0%) led by a bucket-getter in Tre Johnson. The Rookie of the Year in the SEC took 10 triples in the win over Vandy on Wednesday, and he’s averaging 8 attempts per 40 minutes this season. He hit 6 triples against Mississippi State on March 4 and he hit 7 against Arkansas on Feb. 26. Johnson has the ability to go nuclear on any given night, and he should have a pretty healthy serving of 3-point looks against the Aggies.
Texas A&M G Zhuric Phelps higher than 12.5 points
Texas had a 111.9 adjusted defensive rating during SEC play, per KenPom. Against league opponents, Texas sent teams to the free throw line at a higher rate than any other SEC team and gave up a higher percentage of 3s than all but 4 teams. Texas A&M brought Zhuric Phelps off the bench in the Auburn game for the first time since the season opener and it worked wonders. Phelps had 19 points to help the Aggies stun the Tigers. It didn’t work the same against LSU in the first-round game. Phelps missed 6 of his 8 shots from the field and only took 2 free throws. Phelps can make 3s, but he’s at his best when he’s attacking the basket and getting himself to the foul line. I think he can do that against the Longhorns, and that 6-point performance against LSU looks like it created a bit of an advantageous spot. The LSU game was just the third since Dec. 3 where Phelps was held under 10 points. He had scored at least 13 in 5 straight prior to Wednesday.
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.
