CBB Player Prop Picks for Saturday NCAA Tournament Action: Will Creighton Contain Couisnard?

What a wild opening round for this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament! With multiple upsets across the board – including Kentucky’s mind-boggling exit – this year’s championship is a wide-open affair, especially with some mid-major teams stepping into their Cinderella role.

Will Saturday’s games have a similar outcome, producing multiple double-figure seeds in the Sweet 16 round? We’ll discuss our predictions and more as we cover our four-best NCAA Men’s Tournament player prop bets for Saturday, March 23.

Arizona Wildcats’ Caleb Love OVER 17.5 Points

One of the most underrated matchups Saturday is the No. 7 seed Dayton Flyers (25-7) taking on the No. 2 seed Arizona Wildcats (26-8). Arizona is led by senior guard Caleb Love, as the athlete is averaging 18.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 asissts per outing.

To close out the regular season, Love had six games with 18 or more points, showing his ability to score. In the postseason, however, the Arizona guard had back-to-back subpar games, scoring a combined 17 points in the two PAC Tournament games the Wildcats played.

After scoring 18 against Long Beach, bettors should anticipate Love to continue his offensive outburst for the NCAA Tournament. Expect Love to manage at least 18 points against Dayton on Saturday afternoon to lead his team to a victory.

North Carolina Tar Heels’ Armando Bacot OVER 9.5 Rebounds

The No. 1 seed North Carolina Tar Heels (28-7) have an intriguing matchup against the No. 9 seed Michigan State Spartans (20-14) on tap for Saturday evening. UNC has consistently ranked among the top five in the country this season thanks to an upperclassmen-heavy roster led by forward Armando Bacot

For four straight outings, Bacot has notched at least 10 rebounds. Bettors should expect Bacot to continue battling for the rebounds and for this 6’ 11” senior forward to cover his player prop bet while UNC earns the W.

Washington State Cougars’ Issac Jones UNDER 20.5 Pts + Reb

The No. 7 seed Washington State Cougars (25-9) face a strong test against the No. 2 seed Iowa State Hawkeyes (28-7). The Cougars are led by their 6’ 9” senior guard Isaac Jones, a Spanaway, Washington native who leads the team in both points (15.5 per game) and rebounds (7.5 per outing).

Other than in a loss during the PAC-12 Tournament, Jones has produced 22 or more points and rebounds combined in his past five games. Bettors should not expect Jones to continue his strong run, failing to cover this player prop bet in his team’s narrow loss to Iowa State.

Oregon Ducks’ Jermaine Couisnard OVER 2.5 3-Point Field Goals

Few teams are hotter than the No. 11 seed Oregon Ducks (24-11). Oregon caught fire just before the NCAA Tournament by reeling off five consecutive wins – including a surprising PAC-12 Tournament championship trophy – en route to their second-round game Saturday.

The No. 3 seed Creighton Bluejays (24-9) await the Ducks with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line. To beat Creighton, Oregon will need another strong game from senior Jermaine Couisnard, a guard who averages 16.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.

In Oregon’s first-round contest, Couisnard exploded for 40 points, hitting 5-of-9 from 3-point range. Expect Couisnard to continue his hot shooting from behind the arc and easily cover this player prop bet Saturday in his team’s upset victory over Creighton.