Ricky Dimon
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As Super Bowl weekend begins there is admittedly not a whole lot to like about Friday’s college basketball schedule. However, there are 2 top-25 teams in action…and they are playing against each other. It’s UConn versus Xavier headlining today’s slate. We also have plenty of games on the west coast.
Let’s take a look at our three-team mega parlay for Friday’s festivities.
Fresno State ML (+210)
Utah State -11 (-110)
UNLV +8.5 (-110)
Parlay odds: +1030
For this parlay we are going with one favorites against the spread, one underdog plus the points, and one underdog on the money line. Let’s break down each of the three legs one by one.
Fresno State ML over Colorado State (+210)
The Mountain West is loaded this season with 6 teams in the top 50 at KenPom. Fresno State is one of those, ranked No. 45. In 7-footer Orlando Robinson the Bulldogs may have the best pro prospect in the conference. They have not played since Sunday, when they lost a close game to Wyoming. That might sound like a bad result, but the Cowboys are tied with Boise State at the top of the league standings. For much of this season Colorado State was thought to be the best team in the MWC. At 8-3 the Rams are behind Boise State and Wyoming, which is what made a recent home loss to UNLV — one of the worst teams in the conference – quite costly in addition to very surprising. Robinson is a big difference-maker who can be the difference against a CSU team whose best ball might be behind it.
Check out our Fresno State vs Colorado State preview
Utah State -11 over Nevada (-110)
Nevada has had quite a disappointing season. The Wolfpack are 3-8 in conference play (9-13 overall) and riding a 6-game losing streak. Road games have not been kind to the Wolfpack, either. They average fewer than 70 ppg in their road games and have covered in just 2 out of 8, so they will have their work cut out for them on Friday. The Aggies are an excellent offense, especially on their home floor. They shoot better than 48% at home and average more than 75 ppg in their home games, and they have covered in 3 of their last 4. In the first matchup between these teams, Nevada scored just 0.7 points per possession on its home floor. The ‘Pack shot 37.2% from 2-point range and 13.3% from 3-point range in that contest while being out-rebounded by 10 and losing the assist battle by 13. This should be a Utah State romp.
Check out our Nevada vs Utah State preview
UNLV +8.5 over Boise State (-110)
The visiting Rebels are coming off a 78-44 home win over Air Force on Tuesday. They improved to 6-5 in the Mountain West Conference and have won 3 of their last 5 games. Their 108th-ranked offense is led by Bryce Hamilton, who leads the conference with 21.4 ppg. Teammate Donovan Williams comes in at 14.7 ppg. While the Broncos have defeated the Rebels in their last 3 games, they have won by an average margin of only 6.7 points. UNLV has been able to find its stride and the beatdown of Air Force should have it rolling into Boise with a decent amount of confidence. Boise State is also allowing more points at home than on the road this season while giving up an average of 65 points to its last 3 opponents — which is nearly 6 more points than its season average defensively. Take the Rebels on the spread.
Check out all our college basketball previews and picks for Friday
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