In 14 games since Feb. 10, Shannon has averaged 27.0 points, falling short of 23 points just twice. His true shooting percentage in this stretch has been 65.8%. Shannon is playing distinctly better than anyone who has already found recent success against the Cyclones, something four players have still done in their last five games, and Shannon is doing it while keeping the ball in his hands. In these 14 games, his usage rate is 29.7%. In five postseason games, it has been 33.4%.
I'm zigging when the market is zagging on Lipey. He’s averaging just shy of five assists on the season and has dished out more than five dimes in three of his last four games. His Over/Under on assists in the Sweet 16 is at 4.5 with the Under a hefty favorite, and some books as pricy as Under -171. The Illini have longer guards to throw at Lipsey, which could hinder his shot attempts and turn him into more of a distributor. Player projections have Lipsey forecasted for as many as 4.7 assists, which looks pretty good when measured up against the Over 4.5 at +130 odds. It’s a contrarian play considering how the market is pricing this prop, but worth the squeeze.
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