Saturday CBB DFS Cheat Sheet: CBB Picks for PrizePicks Today, 2/22

College basketball delivered one of the most exciting days of the college basketball calendar last Saturday. With March Madness tipping off in under a month, it’s time to dive back into the wild world of college basketball today with the Saturday CBB DFS cheat sheet.

If you’re just returning to college basketball post-NFL and after NBA All-Star Weekend, welcome to your guide to the Saturday college basketball games! Let’s take a look at some of today’s best matchups in college basketball and our top CBB DFS picks for Saturday, February 22, on PrizePicks.

18 teams ranked in the AP Top 25 hit the hardwood today, including No. 17 Kentucky at No. 4 Alabama. Elsewhere, No. 3 Duke plays a rare mid-season non-conference game against Illinois at Madison Square Garden.

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Let’s breakdown some of the CBB DFS picks to target for the Saturday CBB DFS slate on PrizePicks.

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College Basketball DFS Cheat Sheet for Saturday

Here’s a look at some of the CBB DFS picks and projections to target in Saturday’s college basketball games for February 22 on PrizePicks. For each game below, you’ll find a game preview, analysis, and a CBB DFS pick for PrizePicks.

Saturday CBB Games to Target

• No. 17 Kentucky vs. No. 4 Alabama: Preview & Pick
• No. 3 Duke vs. Illinois: Preview & Pick

CBB DFS Picks Today for PrizePicks

• Clemson G Chase Hunter
• Iowa State G Tamin Lipsey
• Arizona F Henri Veesaar
• Gonzaga G Ryan Nembhard

Saturday CBB DFS Picks & Game Previews for PrizePicks

Here are the top games to target for CBB DFS fantasy production today, Saturday, February 22.

No. 17 Kentucky vs. No. 4 Alabama: Preview, Pick

Time: 6 p.m. ET
How to Watch: ESPN

No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats (18-8, 7-6) head down to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to take on SEC rival No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (21-5, 10-3). 

Kentucky is fresh off a 21-point win over tournament bubble team Vanderbilt. The Wildcats have won three of their last four games and are showing signs of life on the defensive end, where they have struggled immensely for most of the season. Kentucky has allowed just 66 points per game over its last four contests, and KenPom now ranks the team as the 69th-most efficient defense.

No. 4 Alabama was rolling, but the Crimson Tide are currently on a two-game losing streak after falling to No. 1 Auburn and No. 15 Missouri. They are still putting up points — averaging more than 95 per game over their last three contests — and rank as a top-six team overall on KenPom, but they are now looking for a much-needed win at home on Saturday night.

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

• These two teams put up points when they face off. Last season — albeit with two very different rosters — Kentucky and Alabama combined for 212 points. Last month, they combined for 199 points. Neither game went to overtime.
• KenPom projects today's matchup to be one of the highest-scoring games of the day, estimating a total of 182 points in Tuscaloosa.
• Kentucky and Alabama are two of the fastest-paced offenses in the country. Alabama averages 74.8 possessions per game, the most in the nation. Not far behind are the Wildcats, who rank 39th nationally with 70.6 possessions per game.
• Kentucky C Amari Williams has taken on a much larger offensive workload with senior guard Lamont Butler out with injury. He has recorded double-digit rebounds in seven of his last 11 games and scored in double figures in eight of those contests.
• Alabama G Mark Sears went off for 35 points in Wednesday’s loss at Missouri. In his previous six games, though, the AP Preseason All-American reached 20 points just once.

CBB PrizePicks Pick: Kentucky C Amari Williams — 14.5 Points

No. 3 Duke vs. Illinois: Preview, Pick

Time: 8 p.m. ET
How to Watch: ESPN

The No. 3 Duke Blue Devils (23-3, 15-1) head to New York City in a rare midseason neutral-site game against the struggling Illinois Fighting Illini (17-10, 9-8).

Duke has rolled through a weak ACC conference nearly unscathed, with its loss at No. 18 Clemson two weeks ago as its only blemish thus far. The Blue Devils have national championship aspirations and are currently anchored by freshman phenom Cooper Flagg, who is expected to be the first overall pick if he declares for the 2025 NBA Draft.

Illinois has been in a free fall over the past month and a half, posting a 5-7 record since January 11. That stretch includes Tuesday’s 21-point road loss to No. 11 Wisconsin, in which the Illini battled through illness and injury but allowed 95 points — the second-most they have given up in a game this season.

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

• Duke star Cooper Flagg leads the Blue Devils in points (19.7 PPG), rebounds (7.7), assists (4.0), steals (1.6) and blocks per game (1.2).
• Illinois projected NBA Draft pick Will Riley is averaging 17 points per game over his last seven games and has played over 27 minutes in each contest.
• Illinois ranks 19th in the nation in 2-point shooting percentage, but just 306th (out of 364 teams) in 3-point shooting percentage.
• Opposing defenses are attacking Illinois on the inside. Opponents generate 56.4% of their points against the Illini from inside of the arc, the ninth-most in the country.
• Illinois freshman big man Morez Johnson Jr. is out indefinitely after suffering a wrist injury on Sunday. 7-foot-1 freshman Tomislav has battled illness and various injuries over the last month as well.

CBB PrizePicks Pick: Duke G-F Cooper Flagg — 20 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, Saturday, February 22.

Clemson G Chase Hunter — 1.5 3-Pt Made (Goblin)

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• Clemson guard Chase Hunter is averaging 17.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. 
• The senior has reached 20 combined points and rebounds in six of his last eight games. He was sidelined by illness in one of those contests, playing just 10 minutes.
• Hunter went 0-for-5 from beyond the arc last game. In the previous two conference games where he failed to make a 3-pointer, he responded by scoring 19 and 20 points, respectively, while making two and four three-pointers in those matchups.
• SMU’s interior defense has been one of the most effective in the country this season, thanks to 7-foot-2 Samet Yigitoglu manning the paint. Opponents are shooting just 45.6% on two-point field goal attempts, ranking 19th nationally. 
• However, the Mustangs are more susceptible to three-point shooting, ranking 105th nationally.

Iowa State G Tamin Lipsey — 11.5 Points or 14.5 Pts+Rebs

• Houston plays at one of the slowest paces in the nation. KenPom lists the Cougars as the 361st-ranked offense in terms of tempo, averaging just 60.9 possessions per game.
• Iowa State’s standout seniors — and top two scorers — Curtis Jones (17.2 points per game) and Keshon Gilbert (14.1) will not play due to injuries. 
• According to KenPom, guard Tamin Lipsey currently accounts for 17.1% of the team’s shots when he is on the court, ranking sixth on the team.
• Houston has the third-most efficient defense in the nation, per KenPom. 
• The Cougars play high-pressure man-to-man defense and are comfortable defending deep into the shot clock. Houston’s average defensive possession length is 19 seconds, the sixth-longest in the country.
• Iowa State is averaging 81.3 points per game, ranking 22nd nationally. The last Houston opponent to top 80 points in a non-overtime game was nearly a year ago — March 2, 2024. KenPom projects Iowa State to score 63 points.

Arizona F Henri Veesaar — 11.0 Points

• Arizona’s Henri Veesaar is averaging 12.5 points over his last six games.
• The 7-foot sophomore has scored 11 or more points in five of those six games.
• Arizona is 8-1 in games when Veesaar reaches at least 11 points. KenPom currently projects the Wildcats to win by seven points over BYU.
• Earlier this month, Veesaar scored 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting in a win at BYU.

Gonzaga G Ryan Nembhard — 19.5 Pts+Asts

• Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard leads Division I basketball in assists, averaging 9.7 per game.
• In four career games against Saint Mary’s, Nembhard has averaged 24 combined points and assists per game.
• He scored 11 points and dished out 12 assists in a loss to Saint Mary’s on February 1.
• This premier mid-major matchup is compelling due to the drastic clash in play styles — Gonzaga prefers an up-tempo approach (ranked 52nd in adjusted tempo, per KenPom), while Saint Mary’s methodically sets up its offense (358th).
• The game at Saint Mary’s earlier this season played out at the Gaels’ pace, with just 62.4 possessions per game. Saint Mary’s defeated Gonzaga 62-58.

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Get Real Money CBB DFS Action on PrizePicks

With a great slate of college basketball on Saturday, there are tons CBB DFS picks to consider for your PrizePicks Lineups. PrizePicks is the best way to get in on the real money CBB action and get paid for your college basketball takes. 

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 of all Demon picks to reach up to 1000x payouts.

With PrizePicks, you can build a Lineup of your CBB picks, however you want — from points to rebounds to combo stats, there’s endless ways to cash in on college basketball. Check out the Playbook for more college basketball picks all the way through March Madness.