Andrew Ortenberg
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Just like that we’re approaching the home stretch of conference play, and we have a nice big college hoops slate on Thursday. What better way to celebrate than by going for a big payday? That’s right; we’re back with another mega parlay, college basketball edition.
We’re going big and bold again, so let’s not waste any more time. But before we dive in, don’t forget to check out our free picks on the side and total for every big NCAAB game.
Arizona State ML (+168)
Washington State ML (+365)
Parlay odds: +1146
Let’s break down each of the two legs one by one.
Arizona State ML (+168) over Oregon
To start this mega parlay I’ve got Arizona State as a home ‘dog. The Sun Devils have been a big disappointment this season, but they aren’t nearly as bad as their record indicates. They’ve lost some close games, and have played the second-toughest schedule in all of college basketball, according to KenPom. This team has plenty of upside still, which they’ve shown on numerous occasions, like when they recently upset an elite UCLA team or when they beat Creighton on the road during non-conference play.
Perhaps most importantly, ASU already beat Oregon on the road earlier this year, and that was at a time when they were struggling mightily. DJ Horne had 23 points in that one and if the talented sophomore has another big game, the Sun Devils should win. Oregon has played a really soft schedule recently against all the conference’s weakest teams, and they still haven’t looked particularly impressive.
Washington State ML (+365) over UCLA
We’re staying in the PAC 12 for the final leg of this mega parlay. We’ve got Washington State in one of the slate’s nightcaps. Speaking of teams that are better than their records, don’t sleep on this Cougars bunch. Wazzu has lost an unbelievable amount of close games, which is why they rank 356th out of 358 D1 teams in Kenpom’s luck factor. Nine of their 10 losses this season have come by 6 points or fewer.
Washington State plays elite defense and plays at a really slow pace, which increases the variance in their games and gives them a great chance to pull off money line upsets against top teams. As I just mentioned above UCLA certainly is beatable, as evidenced by their recent loss to ASU. Senior Cougars guard Michael Flowers is really coming on strong, and he’s dropped at least 16 points in 5 of his last 6 games.
Make sure you check out our full game previews for all of today’s big college basketball matchups!
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