Draftkings NCAA Basketball Picks: USC vs. Purdue 2/7/25
Draftkings picks for this evening's USC vs. Purdue matchup.
USC Trojans vs. Purdue Boilermakers
February 7, 2025 7:00 pm EDT
Later today, the NCAA presents Draftkings basketball fans with a regular season matchup featuring the USC Trojans and the Purdue Boilermakers. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the USC Trojans vs. Purdue Boilermakers game let’s review the rules for Draftkings single game showdown contest.
Draftkings Single Game Showdown Contest Rules
You have $50,000 to utilize on five players from either team. However, one of those players will be designated as your team captain. The captain accumulates 1.5 times the standard fantasy points. Additionally, the captain is 1.5 times the standard cost of the flex position.
The remaining four players in your lineup will receive the standard fantasy points. Having stated that, it is highly important for you to identify the correct player for your captain position if you hope to win a large field DFS GPP (guaranteed prize pool) showdown contest.
If you have additional questions regarding the rules for the single game showdown contest, I recommend that you check out the Draftkings website for more details.
*I recommend that all readers review the starting lineups for both teams prior to setting your DFS lineup for this one game slate.
Here are my Draftkings picks for this evening’s USC Trojans vs. Purdue Boilermakers matchup.
Draftkings NCAA College Basketball Picks
Captain-Braden Smith, Guard, Purdue Boilermakers $12,000
Purdue guard Braden Smith has been a consistent scorer for the Purdue Boilermakers, contributing significantly to the team’s overall success this season. Smith is known for his ability to score and for his contributions on the defensive side of the basketball.
In the 23 games Braden Smith has played for the Purdue Boilermakers in the 2024 NCAA regular season, Smith is averaging a rather impressive 16.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 2.5 steals a game.
Looking closer at the data just presented, in the 23 games that Braden Smith has played for the Purdue Boilermakers this season, Smith has compiled a 45.5% field goal percentage, a 40% three-point percentage, and an 84.8% free throw percentage.
More recently, in the Purdue Boilermakers convincing 91-64 win over the Michigan Wolverines last month, Purdue guard Braden Smith certainly played at a high level. More specifically, Smith tallied 24 points, seven rebounds, ten assists and four steals in the Boilermakers victory over the Michigan Wolverines.
As I noted in the rules section above, selecting the correct player at the captain position for a Draftkings NCAA showdown lineup is absolutely vital if you hope to win a large field GPP (guaranteed prize pool) DFS contest. Keep that in mind as you construct your lineups for this one game Draftkings slate.
In my view, Braden Smith is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in today’s NCAA regular season game. Having stated that, I am rolling with Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith at the captain position for this one game Draftkings NCAA Showdown contest.
Flex Plays
Fletcher Loyer, Guard, Purdue Boilermakers $8,800
In addition to Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer has been a standout performer for the Purdue Boilermakers. Let’s review Loyer’s game data from this season to better shed light on my previous statement.
In the 23 games that Fletcher Loyer has played for the Purdue Boilermakers in the 2024 NCAA regular season, Smith is averaging 13.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.5 blocks a game.
In conclusion, I fully expect Fletcher Loyer to continue his outstanding play in this NCAA regular season game.
Additional flex plays I like to perform well in this game (Draftkings price noted): Saint Thomas, Forward (USC Trojans) $9,800: Gicarri Harris, Guard (Purdue Boilermakers) $2,800.
