Ricky Dimon
Show Bio
Four top-25 teams are taking the court as part of Thursday’s college basketball schedule. That includes an all-ranked showdown between No. 3 UCLA and No. 7 Arizona, while second-ranked Gonzaga is also in action.
We are looking to build on Tuesday’s +597 parlay winner that came courtesy of Kansas, Maryland, and Texas Tech. Wednesday saw us come within a Missouri overtime win over Florida of cashing a +1303 mega parlay, but the Tigers got edged out by Florida. Here is our shot at redemption.
Washington State -2.5 (-110)
Oregon State ML (+220)
Oregon -1.5 (-110)
Parlay odds: +1066
For this parlay we are going with two favorites against the spread and one underdog on the money line. Let’s break down each of the legs one by one.
Washington State -2.5 over Stanford (-110)
Washington State is seeking revenge in this matchup against Stanford, but that’s not the only reason to favor the Cougars. Stanford erased a double-digit second-half lead to win last month’s head-to-head encounter by 5 points. There isn’t much from the box score that stands out as an outlier, except the turnovers committed by Washington State. The Cougars coughed it up 17 times in 68 possessions, which is not something you would expect to happen again based on the season-long metrics of both teams. Stanford’s defense is not very aggressive in looking for turnovers, ranking just 268th in defensive turnover rate. Washington State also typically takes decent care of the ball, ranking 119th in offensive turnover rate. On the flip side, Washington State’s defense forces turnovers at a top 60 rate; Stanford ranks 347th in offensive turnover rate. Go with Wazzou.
Check out our Washington State vs Stanford preview
Oregon State ML over Utah (+220)
The Utes are coming off a 77-73 double-overtime road loss to Washington on Saturday. They dropped to 1-11 in the Pac-12 and have lost their last 10 games by an average margin of 10.5 ppg. Their 176th-ranked offense is led by 7’0” junior Branden Carlson, who is the only player scoring in double figures with 13.4 ppg this season. The Beavers aren’t much better (in fact they might be worse!), but Jarod Lucas and Warith Alatishe are a decent combination. Oregon State eased past Utah 88-76 when these teams first squared off this season. The Beavers have won 5 in a row in the head-to-head series. There is no reason why they can’t do it again.
Check out our Oregon State vs Utah preview
Oregon -1.5 (-110) over Colorado
In the first meeting between these teams last Tuesday, Colorado defeated Oregon 82-78 as a +8-road underdog. However, the Buffaloes went 8-for-15 from 3-point land and you can’t expect them to duplicate that effort. Since that win over Oregon, Colorado has dropped back-to-back games, at Washington and at Washington State. The Buffs’ offense has cooled off, failing to reach 60 points in both losses. As -1.5 point road favorites, the Ducks are the recommended side to cover the spread in this rematch. Outside of Oregon’s loss to Colorado, it has won its last 7 games — reasserting itself as a potential NCAA Tournament at-large team. The Ducks’ stability on both ends of the court makes them a worthwhile wager against an inconsistent Colorado club. They currently rate as the 3rd-most efficient offense (109 points scored per 100 possessions) and 4th-most efficient defense (98.2 points allowed per 100 possessions) in Pac-12 play.
Check out all our college basketball previews and picks for Thursday
Pickswise is the home of free College Basketball Picks and College Basketball Predictions. With top College Basketball picks available daily, including our College Basketball Best Bets.
