It all comes down to this.
After weeks of insanity, the NCAA Tournament draws to a close with Monday’s National Championship contest between the Connecticut Huskies and San Diego State Aztecs.
We’ve adjusted the format to accommodate the single-game slate, including our top play, value, and flag plant for the March Madness finale.
Keep in mind that the salary information contained in this article is base salary. Including any of these players in the Captain spot will yield 1.5x fantasy points but will cost 1.5x the salary as well.
Be sure to check out some of our features, like our Lineup Optimizer, which allows you to create 300 lineups in seconds. You can also create an abundance of lineup-building rules to suit your playing style for the slates you’re playing.
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Now, let’s get into the slate!
National Championship Top Pick
Adama Sanogo ($10,000)
Through five rounds of madness, nobody has contained Sanogo, and we don’t expect that to change in the Natty. The Huskies forward has been a menace, accumulating a double-double in three of five tournament games, resulting in at least 32.0 fantasy points each time out. That elite form will continue against San Diego State.
Sanogo has found a new gear in the big dance, establishing his presence on both ends of the court. The junior is averaging 20.2 points per game, above his season-long average of 17.2. Just as impressively, we’ve seen a boost in his rebounding metrics, with Sanogo grabbing 9.8 boards over his last five compared to 7.6 throughout the season. It’s worth noting that an average of 3.0 of those tournament rebounds are coming on the offensive glass.
Still, Sanogo’s success hasn’t been limited to points and rebounds, as the big has put up robust complementary stats. The Mali native has recorded a block in his past five games, and he’s mixed in eight assists since the Sweet Sixteen. Moreover, he fell just four assists shy of a coveted triple-double in the Elite Eight.
Although the Aztecs have several players that can battle with Sanogo, they cannot neutralize the Huskies’ go-to player altogether. Sanogo will be a primary weapon all night and should live up to his billing as the best player available.
Be sure to check out all the pick’ems on PrizePicks for the NCAA tourney.
National Championship Top Value
Tristen Newton ($7,200)
Tristen Newton’s scoring may be down, but he’s finding ways to take over the game in other ways. Consequently, his salary has taken a hit over the last few games, making him a top value in Monday’s showdown against the Aztecs.
Guards have burned the Aztecs all tournament, and Newton could be the latest overachiever. The Texas native has been in a giving mood, exceeding his season average in assists in four of five tournament games. Similarly, Newton’s been a beast on the glass, totaling 18 boards over his last three. Points may not be coming easily, but Newton is making up for it in other facets.
Despite the decreases in scoring, Newton continues to take shots. The senior is averaging 6.6 shots per game in tournament play, 3.0 of which are coming from distance. A decrease in shooting percentage accounts for the diminished scoring, but if buckets start dropping, we could see a season-best performance from the Huskies’ guard in the final.
Newton’s salary doesn’t accurately reflect his true potential on tonight’s slate. That’s reflected in our projections, which rate Newton as one of the elite performers while straddling a top rating in Points/Salary. Don’t overlook the value he brings to the single-game slate.
National Championship Flag Plant
Darrion Trammell ($6,600)
The moment has never been too big for SDSU guard Darrion Trammell. And although we’ve seen inconsistent effort from him throughout the tourney, we expect Trammell to be a catalyst for the Aztecs on Monday.
Tramell’s best effort came in the Sweet Sixteen against the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. The senior put up 21 points, five rebounds, and two steals in that contest, yielding 32.25 fantasy points. We expect him to replicate that effort with the country watching.
For the season, Trammell ranks in the top two on the team in scoring, assists, and steals. He has maintained his usage over the past couple of weeks but has seen a dip in his shooting percentage in his last two outings. Since the Elite Eight, Trammell is draining just 31.8% of his shots, including 25.0% from beyond the arc.
Those metrics are well below what we’ve seen from Trammell throughout the season. The senior is hitting 31.4% of shots from beyond the arc, contributing to an overall shooting percentage of 35.9%.
Considering the drop-off, we should see progression from Trammell as he works his way back up to normal ranges. With only one game left in the season, we’re betting that it comes tonight against UConn.
