Hunter Dickinson Over 15.5 Points (-110)
Bill Self may have found the recipe to success with this Kansas basketball roster. Flory Bidunga and Rylan Griffen both had breakout performances in the Jayhawks' dominant win over UCF, and that helped Dickinson have his best game of the season. In just 23 minutes, the All-American candidate compiled 27 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks against the Knights.
Griffen's outside threat led to Dickinson seeing less double teams when he had the ball in the post. Bidunga's inside presence allowed Dickinson to show off his ability to stretch the floor. If either of these trends continues (or ideally, both), Dickinson will likely become a three-time All-American by the time the season ends.
Dickinson also draws another good matchup against the Sun Devils. They have just one player taller than 6-foot-9, and even he averages just 13.4 minutes per game. Dickinson, who plays north of 30 minutes in competitive games, should get plenty of chances against players 5+ inches shorter than him. I see another big game from Dickinson coming.
Dajuan Harris Over 15.5 Points + Assists (-128)
Harris came into this season with a career high in scoring of just 8.9 points per game. He much prefers to control the game with his passing and defense. However, he has taken a bit more of a scoring load so far this season. He is taking over six shots per game, and that has translated to a 10.4 scoring average so far. Couple that with his 5.5 assists per game and his averages essentially win this bet.
He has hit this total in eight of 13 games so far this season. Four of the five games he fell short were blowout wins for the Jayhawks, meaning he played less than his normal minutes. In games that he played 30+ minutes, he is 7-for-7 on hitting this number. While they are 14.5-point favorites versus the Sun Devils, I am weary of a slight letdown after the throttling of UCF.
Another reason I like this bet is the way they utilized Bidunga in the UCF game. The freshman big man played a season high 21 minutes and tallied 12 points. I imagine that will lead to more playing time moving forward. If Bidunga and Dickinson combine for 40+ minutes, I see a lot of pick and rolls in Dajuan's future. He has thrived in that type of offense, and with Zeke Mayo and the potentially surging Griffen on the perimeter, Harris should have no trouble hitting this number. I think he has a great chance of hitting this number with either a scoring or assisting showcase.