In college basketball pick'em Saturday, the NCAA Tournament second round begins after an exciting first round. We'll pare down from 32 teams to 24 on Saturday, and down to 16 after Sunday. It's a short, but sweet weekend. Let's grab some winners.
College Basketball PrizePicks Picks & Strategy
If you're unfamiliar with how to play, you must simply choose at least two players from any sport and pick more or less based on their projected statistics to win. We'll obviously be exclusively selecting college hoops players, but you can mix and match from various other sports. You can also go with a flex play, meaning you still can have a winning night even if you have one losing selection. Or, you can go big and choose the power play, which pays out higher. However, you must hit all ends to win. Let's get started.
For up-to-the-minute updates on injuries, roles and overall player performance, head to RotoWire's latest college basketball news page or follow @RotoWireCBB on X.
Darius Acuff Jr., G, Arkansas 
Man, it is going to be fun watching High Point against Arkansas. The Razorbacks have managed 90.1 points per game (PPG), ranking third in the nation, while the Panthers ranked fourth with 89.8 PPG. If you take any players in this game, make sure to go 'More' on the projections.
Acuff introduced himself to the casual fans who don't watch basketball all season, but fill out a bracket and then tell you, "Man, did you see that Arkansas kid? He is pretty good!". We know. Ha. Acuff went for 24 points, seven assists and three rebounds with a steal and two three-pointers against Hawaii in a 97-78 win, while hitting 9-of-19 from the field, and 2-of-5 from downtown.
Acuff has scored 24 or more points in five consecutive games, and he has five or more assists in 12 straight outings since Feb. 7. Oh, and he is working on a streak with five in a row, and eight of the past nine, with three or more boards.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Darius Acuff Jr., More 36.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
Ryan Conwell, G, Louisville 
If you're a frequent reader of this piece, you know I don't like to go 'Less' very often on a player. I choose to cheer for players to succeed, rather than hope for their failure for my/our personal gain. However, sometimes projections just do not make sense, and we have to go low.
Heck, even if Conwell was to hit slightly under his projections he could still have a pretty good game.
The Michigan State defense allows just 67.0 PPG (26th), while allowing 40.6 percent from the field (26th), and 32.4 percent from behind the three-point line (101st). Conwell averaged 18.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG and 2.6 APG this season, and he is working on a streak with 15+ points in eight in a row. However, his assist numbers can be erratic, and rarely will he go for more than four in a game. For his rebounding totals, expect him to land in the neighborhood of three or four per game. That means he will need to put up 20-plus points to get this one over the finish line. Is it possible? Sure. It is likely? Nah.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Ryan Conwell, Less 28.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
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Berke Buyuktuncel, F, Nebraska 
We rarely look at the blocks + steals category, but we really should.
Nebraska picked up its first-ever victory in the NCAA Tournament against Troy in the first round. It was the last power-conference school to earn its first NCAA Tournament win. Buyuktuncel had nine points, seven rebounds, two steals and a block with a three-pointers in 27 minutes against the Trojans.
The important part of that stat line is that two steals and the block. After getting blanked in the block and steal categories in the Big Ten Tournament loss against Purdue, and in the regular-season finale against Iowa, he was back on track. He has hit a combination of at least two blocks/steals in three of the past five games, and six of the past nine outings. He should be able to get there against Vandy in Round 2, too.
CBB PrizePicks Selection: Berke Buyuktuncel, More 1.5 Blks+Stls
Friday's College Basketball PrizePicks Picks
Here's a recap of my best college basketball selections for Saturday:
- Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas, More 36.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
- Ryan Conwell, Louisville, Less 28.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
- Berke Buyuktuncel, Nebraska, More 1.5 Blks+Stls
For additional recommendations for PrizePicks and other similar sites, check out our College Basketball Picks page.
For more fantasy college hoops content, be sure to check out features like our college basketball injury report, college basketball depth charts and latest college basketball news.
