Illinois and Arizona punched the first two tickets in the Final Four last night. Michigan, Tennessee, Connecticut, and Duke will look to join them in Indianapolis with victories today.
In Chicago, a pair of potential first round picks will battle as Nate Ament and Yaxel Lendeborg will match up. The senior Lendeborg may get the best of that matchup.
Meanwhile, Tarris Reed has been a force in the NCAA Tournament for the Huskies. However, he may run into trouble going against Duke's frontline.
With that said, let's dive into my NCAA Tournament player props and college basketball picks for the Elite 8 games on Sunday, March 29.
Elite 8 Player Props for Sunday, March 29
Tennessee vs Michigan Player Prop Pick
In his lone season in Ann Arbor, Lendeborg has won Big Ten Player of the Year and has become a consensus All-American. His stats may not jump off the page, but his impact certainly does. Today, I like him to impact the game with his scoring.
In the NCAA Tournament, Lendeborg is averaging 19 points per game. He scored 25 points against Saint Louis and 23 against Alabama to help his Wolverines advance to the Elite Eight. Over his past nine games, he is averaging 17.1 points per game. He has scored 16 points in six of those games, including 20 points in four of them.
Lendeborg spends time at both forward spots for Michigan, and if he gets matched up with Ament, he will have a 30+ pound advantage. We also know he finds it disrespectful to be guarded by a freshman. While Lendeborg can use his physicality in the paint, he has also made seven threes in his last two games and at least two in seven of his past nine games.
Pick: Yaxel Lendeborg Over 15.5 Points
UConn vs Duke Player Prop Pick
Reed has made his presence felt in the NCAA Tournament with a pair of double-doubles. He had a ridiculous 31 points and 27 rebounds against Furman and 10 points and 13 rebounds against UCLA. Reed is now up to 8.8 rebounds per game this season.
However, despite his strong play in the NCAA Tournament, Reed has not recorded 10 rebounds in three of his last five games. For the season, he also has been under this line in 20 of 32 (62%) games this season. Today's matchup is not very conducive to him getting there again.
Duke is fourth in offensive rebounding percentage and ninth in defensive rebounding percentage, while UConn ranks 27th and 81st in both categories. Duke outrebounds its opponents by 11.1 per game.
Duke has also attempted 68 free throws through three NCAA Tournament games, compared to 24 for opponents. Reed averages three fouls in about 27 minutes per game. If he gets in foul trouble again today, it will be difficult for him to get 10 rebounds.
Pick: Tarris Reed Jr. Under 9.5 Rebounds
