Friday NCAA Tournament Picks, Predictions for CBB DFS & PrizePicks - 3/21

The NCAA Tournament continues on Friday with 16 games from noon to late into the night as teams look to advance to the Round of 32. 

Friday’s contests include Colorado State battling Memphis in Seattle at 2 p.m. on TBS. The night action showcases New Mexico taking on Marquette in Cleveland at 7:25 p.m. ET on TBS. And that’s just a start of what’s to come for CBB DFS today and through the weekend..

Welcome to today’s CBB DFS Cheat Sheet, as we breakdown today’s NCAA tournament games and give today’s best CBB DFS picks for PrizePicks for Friday, March 21.

As the NCAA Tournament rolls through the first round, there are plenty of opportunities to find real-money wins on PrizePicks with all day college basketball on Friday. Find the full Tournament Bracket and Round of 64 schedule here and get ready for the madness.

PrizePicks is the easiest way to cash in on college basketball DFS. Just pick More or Less on player stats across college basketball, lock in your Lineups, and win up to 1000x on 6-Pick Lineups!

Let’s break down some of the best college basketball picks to target for the Friday NCAA Tournament games on PrizePicks.

College Basketball DFS Cheat Sheet: First Round

Here’s a look at some of the CBB DFS picks and projections to target in Friday’s college basketball games for March 21 on PrizePicks. 

Friday CBB Games to Target

• Colorado State vs. Memphis: Preview & Pick
• New Mexico vs. Marquette: Preview & Pick

CBB DFS Picks Today for PrizePicks

• Vanderbilt G Jason Edwards — 18.5 Pts+Rebs
• Mississippi G Sean Pedulla — 1.5 3-Pointers Made (Goblin)
• Akron G Nate Johnson — 19.5 Pts+Rebs
• Troy F Myles Rigsby — 19 Pts+Rebs+Asts

Friday CBB DFS Picks & Game Previews for PrizePicks

Here are the top games to target for CBB DFS fantasy production today, Friday, March 21.

Colorado State vs. Memphis: Preview, Pick

Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: TBS

Colorado State (25-9, 16-4 MWC) put together a dominating effort in the Mountain West Conference tournament. The Rams closed it out with a pair of double-digit victories over Utah State and Boise State to run their winning streak to 10 games.

Last season, the Rams embarrassed Virginia in the First Four, 67-42, prior to a 12-point defeat to Texas. Colorado State ranked second in offensive efficiency in Mountain West play, while leading the conference in 2-point shooting and free-throw shooting.

Memphis (29-5, 16-2 AAC) captured the automatic bid from the American Conference for the second time in three seasons. The Tigers have won 16 of their last 17 games with the lone loss coming in overtime at Wichita State.

Both teams are strong defensively, as Memphis ranks 41st in defensive efficiency and Colorado State sits 52nd. The Tigers are seeking their first NCAA Tournament victory since 2022 when they defeated Boise State in the first round.

Here are a few key stats to help you make your DFS picks for Friday’s First Round matinee on PrizePicks:

• Memphis G PJ Haggerty finished tied for third in the nation in scoring at 21.8 points per game.
• Haggerty torched Wichita State in the American quarterfinals with 42 points.
• Haggerty’s points projection at PrizePicks is set at 20.5. The sophomore has scored 21 points or more in five of the last eight games.
• Colorado State G Nique Clifford paced the Rams this season with 21.0 points per game.
• Clifford has topped the 24-point mark in four consecutive games.
• Colorado State has limited five straight opponents to less than 30% shooting from 3-point range.
• KenPom projects this game with an estimated 147 points.

CBB PrizePicks Pick: Colorado State F Nique Clifford — 20.5 Points

New Mexico vs. Marquette: Preview, Pick

Time: 7:25 p.m. ET
How to Watch: TBS

Marquette (23-10, 13-7 Big East) struggled down the stretch with a 4-6 record in its final 10 regular season games. The Golden Eagles held off Xavier in the Big East quarterfinals before losing to St. John’s in the semifinal round.

New Mexico (26-7, 17-3 MWC) put together its best season under head coach Richard Pitino. The Lobos won the Mountain West Conference regular season title but lost in the conference tournament semifinals to Boise State.

New Mexico owned one of the best defenses in the country, ranking 19th in defensive efficiency. The Lobos pushed the pace as well by sitting fifth nationally in shortest possession length.

In Marquette’s last 10 victories, the only NCAA Tournament team it beat was Xavier in the Big East tournament. Seven of their last eight losses have come to squads participating in the Big Dance.  

Here are a few key stats to help you make your DFS picks for Friday’s showdown on PrizePicks:

• Marquette G Kam Jones is averaging a career-high 19.3 points per game.
• Jones has heated up of late by combining for more than 27 points and rebounds in three consecutive games.
• Jones has finished with six or fewer assists in three of the last four games. 
• New Mexico G Donovan Dent led the MWC with 20.6 points per game.
• Dent’s point projection at PrizePicks is set at 21 points. In the five of the last six games, Dent has surpassed 22 points or more.
• KenPom projects this game at 150 points. 
• New Mexico and its opponents have scored a combined 148 points or less in four consecutive games. 

CBB PrizePicks Pick: New Mexico G Donovan Dent — 21 Points

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CBB DFS Picks Today for PrizePicks

Here are four CBB DFS picks to use in your PrizePicks CBB Lineups for today, Friday, March 21.

Vanderbilt G Jason Edwards — 18.5 Pts+Rebs

• Commodores G Jason Edwards posted a five-game stretch of less than 18 combined points and rebounds between February 19 and March 4.
• Edwards bounced back the last two games with 20+ point efforts, including 24 points against Georgia.
• The junior has not picked up more than three rebounds in 13 consecutive games.
• St. Mary’s owns the seventh-best defensive efficiency rating in the country.
• In the last seven games, Edwards has converted on 11-of-40 attempts (27.5%) from 3-point range.

Mississippi G Sean Pedulla — 1.5 3-Pointers Made (Goblin)

• Rebels G Sean Pedulla looks to get on track from downtown. He is 1-of-12 on 3-pointers in the last two games.
• Pedulla has drained at least two 3-pointers in five of the last six games after hitting one trey or fewer.
• Pedulla is getting the opportunities to fire away, attempting five or more 3-pointers in five consecutive games.
• North Carolina has limited nine of its last 11 opponents to 33% shooting or lower from 3-point range.

Akron G Nate Johnson — 19.5 Pts+Rebs

• Zips G Nate Johnson is fresh off two of his best games of the season. Johnson torched Toledo for 31 points in the MAC tournament semifinal, followed by 22 points in the title game against Miami-Ohio.
• Prior to the MAC semifinals, Johnson had not scored more than 20 points in eight straight games.
• In 12 of the last 19 games, Johnson has picked up more than 20 points and rebounds.
• Arizona has allowed five of its last six opponents to shoot 38% or better from 3-point range.
• The junior has gone 7-of-16 from 3-point land in the last four games.

Troy F Myles Rigsby — 19 Pts+Rebs+Asts

• Trojans F Myles Rigsby finished second in scoring at 12.0 points per game.
• In five of the last six games, Rigsby has scored more than 15 points, including 20 points in the Sun Belt title game against Arkansas State.
• The sophomore posted a seven-game streak of at least four rebounds before getting limited to two boards the last two contests.
• Rigsby shot 52.6% on 2-point attempts this season. Kentucky ranked 16th in SEC action allowing opponents to shoot 56.6% on 2-point tries.
• Rigsby has dished out two assists or less in eight straight games.

Get Real Money NCAA Tournament Action on PrizePicks

We’ve got a massive 16-game slate of NCAA tournament action on Friday in the First Round, as teams fight to keep their season alive and move one step closer to the National Championship.

‍PrizePicks is the best way to get in on the real money NCAA Tournament action and get paid for your college basketball takes. There are tons of CBB DFS picks to consider for your PrizePicks Lineups as we start the NCAA Tournament. 

Just pick More or Less at least two CBB player stat projections to build your Lineup on PrizePicks. Use the players above to build your Lineups around, or use a 6-Pick Lineup to reach up to 1000x payouts.

Check out the Playbook for more college basketball picks all the way through the NCAA Tournament.