Ricky Dimon
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We are nearing the point of the college basketball season in which Fridays generally offer a relatively small slate before Saturdays and Sundays tip off with a ton of action. The Ivy League often takes center stage on Friday nights, which tells you everything you need to know about that day of the week! For now, though, the occasional Power 5 team is still getting the weekend started in style. Among the programs suiting up tonight are Kansas, St. John’s, Purdue, Iowa, Boston College, Notre Dame, Virginia, Illinois, Houston, and Texas.
Boston College ML (+175)
Kansas vs St. John’s Over 157 (-110)
Purdue -14 alternate spread (+130)
Parlay odds: +1108
For this parlay we are going with one favorite against an alternate spread, one underdog on the money line, and an over play. Let’s break down each of the three legs one by one.
Boston College ML over Notre Dame (+175)
Boston College hit an early-season snag with losses to Rhode Island (twice) and Utah, but it has since bounced back with blowouts of Columbia and South Florida. All three of the Eagles’ setbacks have come either on the road or at neutral sites and they are a perfect 5-0 at home. In other words, they have to be feeling at least pretty good about their chances when ACC competition gets underway against visiting Notre Dame. Boston College has four different guys scoring in double-figures, matching Notre Dame in that department. The Fighting Irish have faced three decent opponents this season and has lost to all of them (St. Mary’s, Texas A&M, and Illinois). There is no reason why B.C. can’t pull off a minor upset.
Check out all our college basketball previews and picks for Friday
Kansas vs St. John’s Over 157 (-110)
Kansas and St. John’s feature two highly efficient, fast-paced offenses with dynamic scorers. Kansas is led by Ochai Ogbaji (22.5 ppg), Christian Braun (13.8 ppg), and Remy Martin (12.0 ppg), and thanks to them the Jayhawks’ offense has been on fire. They average 83.8 ppg on an effective field-goal percentage of 57.6. Meanwhile, the Red Storm average 87.3 ppg on an effective field-goal percentage of 57. Julian Champagnie comes in at 21.3 ppg and Posh Alexander chips in 14.6 ppg. KU and SJU each rank in the Top 50 in adjusted tempo per KenPom and average more than 71 possessions per game. These two teams attempt a lot of high-percentage shots in transition, too, so the combination of tempo and shot selection would suggest that we are in store for points aplenty in an entertaining Friday night affair.
Check out our Kansas vs St. John’s preview
Purdue -14 alternate spread over Iowa (+130)
Both Big Ten powers head into this showdown with 7-0 records. Iowa has surprised many people with its success this season even after losing National Player of the Year Luka Garza. The Hawkeyes boast a win over Virginia, but that came at home by a single point and the Wahoos are by no means the same team that won the National Championship a few years ago. It was a solid result for Iowa to be sure, but going up against Purdue on the road is a whole different beast. The Boilermakers are No. 2 in the nation and they will secure the top spot with a win on Friday because Duke lost to Ohio State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenger. Purdue is also coming off a great win, having destroyed Florida State 93-65 on Tuesday night. The Boilermakers dominated from start to finish, shooting an awesome 59.3 percent from the field. Jaden Ivey led the way with 18 points on 4 three-pointers and Zach Edey continued to impress in the paint. Mackey Arena will be rocking and Purdue could treat its home crowd to another blowout.
Check out our Iowa vs Purdue preview
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