Sweet 16 Player Props: Targeting Julian Reese, Labaron Philon to Shine in Thursday's NCAA Tournament Games

While it was a very chalk-heavy opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament, that makes for better games come the second weekend and beyond. Thursday kicks off with a pair of must-watch thrillers, as Alabama-BYU's total continues to rise toward 180 while the game of the night between Florida and Maryland will tip off shortly thereafter.

I've got three player props for you on this Thursday slate, all focusing on the early games.

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Sweet 16 Player Props: Thursday, March 27th

Labaron Philon Over 10.5 points (-117), Over 3.5 assists (-129) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for BYU vs. Alabama Props

Thursday presents as a perfect buy-low opportunity on the freshman phenom Labaron Philon.

He really struggled to find his stroke the opening weekend, tallying just nine points on 2-of-9 shooting. Yet Nate Oats stuck to his young star, who played a consistent 28 minutes per game and instead took on a more facilitator-heavy role (13 assists).

Now, with the highest total on the board against a weak BYU defense, Philon finds himself in a great spot. I’m looking to back him to go over both his points (10.5, -117 Caesars) and assists (3.5, -129 Caesars) prop against the Cougars. 

This is an incredibly high total for a reason. Alabama likes to run-and-gun on offense, and BYU is no stranger to pushing the tempo itself. Both offenses rank inside the top 10 in Kenpom’s offensive efficiency, and BYU in particular has been playing its best basketball all season. 

There will be no shortage of shots and thanks to his playmaking ability, Philon will find the ball in his hands often. While Philon has struggled in the postseason, he did finish the regular season with double digits in 7-of-8. He takes over a fifth of all shots while on the floor, too.

Alabama has a clear athleticism advantage in this matchup. BYU’s defense does not have the prototypical size or speed like the Tide, and it shows. The Cougars are 72nd in defensive efficiency, per Kenpom, struggling to defend both the 3 (247th) and inside the arc (111th). 

The Tide should take advantage of those defensive issues and I would not be surprised to see another 90+ point performance here. That’s why I like Philon to not only find success scoring, but facilitating. He will find himself with the ball in his hand often and given the pure shot volume, potential assists will be there. 

In eight of Philon’s last 10, he has finished with at least four. The freshman ranks inside the top 20 during SEC play in assist rate and the Cougars as a whole allow assists on over 50% of all field goals made. That ranks outside the top half of the NCAA. 

While Mark Sears will be the primary ball handler, Philon is a close second. Trust the Tide to find success on the offensive end and Philon to end his scoring drought against a much weaker BYU team. 

Julian Reese o12.5 points (-113) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for Maryland vs. Florida Player Props

The key for Julian Reese here is avoiding foul trouble. Florida is going to attack downhill and have a plethora of big men to throw at Reese, who has at times dealt with foul issues (4.1 FC/40). But if he stays on the floor here, Maryland should have an advantage around the rim. 

During Big 10 play, Reese ranked sixth in offensive-rebounding rate and 12th in free-throw rate. He is a proven double-double machine and one of Florida’s biggest issues this season has been cleaning up on the defensive glass. The Gators, while they’re 10th in adjusted defensive efficiency, are 146th in defensive rebounding. 

Look at the UConn game for example. Despite a lack of size, the Huskies grabbed 14 offensive rebounds (33%). Even Norfolk State was able to create enough (14, 41.2%) in the Round of 64 to avoid a total dismantling. In fact, the Norfolk State offense held its own!

The biggest plus here is that Reese is also a solid free-throw shooter. After finishing with a 54.6% clip last season, the 6-foot-9 big is up to 73.5% in 2025. He made all his free throws against Colorado State including two extremely clutch ones in the final minute. 

Florida can become a bit foul happy and given Reese’s ability to control the glass, we should see plenty of second-chance opportunities and trips to the free-throw line for the big man. All eyes will be on Derik Queen for obvious reasons, but many are forgetting about Reese. 

For what it’s worth, Reese is over this 12.5 number (-113, BetRivers) in both NCAA Tournament games and four of his last five. In general, since January, Reese has 13+ in 14-of-22 since Jan. 1 (64%). 

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