Ricky Dimon
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It has to be said that college basketball has hit a bit of a lull following Jimmy V Week on ESPN, and we are now in the midst of Christmas break for schools across the country. Nonetheless, there is enough to work with as we try to formulate a winning mega parlay on Friday. Among the teams taking the court are Villanova, Creighton, Wake Forest, and Mississippi State.
Here we go:
St. Bonaventure ML Virginia Tech (+126)
Creighton ML over Villanova (+230)
Charlotte +10 over Wake Forest (-110)
Parlay odds: +1324
For this parlay we are going with one spread pick, and a pair of underdogs on the money line. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs one by one.
St. Bonaventure ML Virginia Tech (+126)
St. Bonaventure star point guard Kyle Lofton has missed the last 3 games due to an injury, but he has a chance to return to action today against Virginia Tech. In Lofton’s absence, Jaren Holmes has played extremely well, averaging 16.3 points and 7.3 assists over the last 3 games. With 5 days off to prepare for this game, Bonnies head coach Mark Schmidt will have an answer for Tech shooters such as Keve Aluma. This game comes down to individual matchups, and that is where St. Bonaventure figures to have the edge. Tech has struggled with physical and athletic competition this year. Whether it is Lofton or Holmes running the point, Hokie guard Storm Murphy will have trouble with their size and speed. In the post, Aluma will have his hands full with St. Bonaventure 6’10” big man Osun Osunniyi. Osunniyi has a block rate of over 12 percent and defends well, committing only 2.9 fouls per 40 minutes. St. Bonaventure takes care of the ball (17th in TO%) and shoots well from the FT line (19th in FT%). A minor upset is very possible.
Check out our full preview for St. Bonaventure vs Virginia Tech
Creighton ML over Villanova (+230)
Villanova fell to 7-3 on the season after getting dominated by Baylor 57-36 in its last game. Baylor looked like the best team in the country, holding the 6th-ranked Wildcats to just 36 points and forcing them to shoot just 22.2 percent from the field. ‘Nova will look to bounce back from its disappointing performance on Sunday and start its Big East campaign with a win on the road. Creighton sits at 8-3 on the season after being upset at home by Arizona State on Tuesday night. The Bluejays could not keep their positive momentum going following their massive win at home on Saturday against the 24th-ranked BYU Cougars. Creighton struggled from 3-point land in that contest, shooting just 20 percent as a team and only knocking down 5 in the entire game. This game should be very slow paced and low scoring as both teams have been great on defense. There is no reason why Creighton can’t pull it out in the end.
Check out our full preview for Villanova vs Creighton
Charlotte +10 over Wake Forest (-110)
Charlotte is the recommended side in this matchup. For what it’s worth, this game is being played in Charlotte — but not at the 49ers home arena. Wake Forest obviously is fairly close to Charlotte so not there is not much travel involved, but it’s something to keep in mind. Another thing to note before even looking at the matchup is the status of Wake Forest’s Jake LaRavia, who missed the team’s last game due to COVID protocols. LaRavia is the team’s second-leading scorer at 14 points per game, so his presence or absence will be impactful. Charlotte has a good chance to compete in this game either way. The 49ers rank inside the top-90 of two-point, three-point, and free-throw percentage, so their offense is capable of scoring efficiently. They also rank 118th in offensive turnover percentage per KenPom. This is key against Wake Forest’s high-pressure defense that is forcing turnovers at the 92nd-highest rate nationally. The Niners boast all-conference point guard Jahmir Young, who is averaging nearly 20 points per game, and power-conference down-transfers in Clyde Trapp (Clemson) and Robert Braswell (Syracuse).
Check out all our college basketball previews and picks for Friday
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