Ricky Dimon
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Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven…not 17, not 18, not 19…. No, a whopping 20 top 25 teams are in action on the college basketball hardwood today.
Here is my three-team mega parlay for the festivities.
Auburn -9.5 (-110)
Virginia Tech ML (+120)
Texas Tech -12 alternate spread (+170)
Parlay odds: +1034
For this parlay we are going with two favorites against the spread – one on an alternate number – and one underdog on the money line. Let’s break down each of the three legs one by one.
Auburn -9.5 over Oklahoma (-110)
Auburn survived a massive scare on Tuesday, managing to defeat Missouri 55-54 on the road. It was a poor shooting night for the Tigers, as they made just 35.7% of their 2-point attempts, 21.4% of their 3-point attempts, and 63.6% of their FT attempts. Jabari Smith was held to 5 points, but he was able to make an impact other places with 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. As for the Sooners, they were able to end a 4-game losing streak with a 72-62 road win over West Virginia on Wednesday. For multiple reasons, though, success is unlikely to continue. Oklahoma has scored just 59.4 ppg over its last 5 games and figures to be overmatched on the road against Auburn’s defense. The Sooners rely heavily on the production of Tanner Groves, and score a majority of their points from 2-point range. That plays directly into the hands of an Auburn defense that ranks 1st in block rate and 12th in 2-point defense. The length of Walker Kessler will come into play in Groves’ near-proximity attempts, forcing OU into uncomfortably long possessions that result in poor shot attempts against the country’s 10th-most efficient defense (KenPom). Back the No. 1 team in the land with confidence.
Check out our Oklahoma vs Auburn preview
Virginia Tech ML over Florida State (+120)
Despite being 2-7 in ACC play, Virginia Tech has a good chance in this one. The Hokies rank highly among analytics sites, but they just haven’t been able to pull out games at the end. Florida State also enters this game banged up, as Malik Osborne is possibly out for the season and Caleb Mills has been dealing with a throat infection. From a matchup perspective, the Seminoles to use pick-and-roll to create mismatches. However, Virginia Tech ranks in the 86th percentile in pick-and-roll defense. On the other end, Florida State allows a lot of three-point attempts to opponents, which is music to the ears of Virginia Tech. The Hokies rank sixth in the country in three-point percentage, so they should be able to score effectively from beyond the arc. Take VT to win outright.
Check out our Virginia Tech vs Florida State preview
Texas Tech -12 alternate spread over Mississippi State (+170)
Mississippi State is 13-6 on the season and right in the middle of the bubble conversation for the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs are coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to Kentucky on Tuesday. Iverson Molinar played 36 minutes and led the entire game with 30 points. He is currently averaging 18.4 points per game and will need to have an amazing game once again if the Bulldogs want to beat this hot Texas Tech team. The Red Raiders are 15-5 and have huge wins against Baylor, Kansas, and Iowa State already during conference play. They were unable to sweep Kansas, as they lost to the Jayhawks in double-overtime on Monday night. Needless to say, that is a respectable result. Terrance Shannon Jr. and Kevin McCullar combined for just 7 points and shot a disastrous 2-for-21 from the field as a duo, and TT still took it to double-OT. The Red Raiders are undefeated at home in 2021-22 and they should win this one big.
Check out all our college basketball previews and picks for Saturday
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