Ricky Dimon
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There is only 1 game to go in the college football season and it’s not until next Monday, so college basketball is heating up at just the right time for sports fans. Conference competition in the Power 5 is finally getting underway, and what a menu we have on Tuesday – which features the likes of Mississippi State vs Tennessee, Kansas State vs Texas and Virginia vs Pittsburgh. Let’s take a look at my 3-team college basketball mega parlay for Tuesday.
Syracuse -8.5 (-110)
Alabama -12.5 (-110)
Pittsburgh ML (+200)
Parlay odds: +993
For this parlay, we are going with 2 favorites against the spread and 1 underdog on the money line. Here is a breakdown of each leg.
Check out all of our college basketball picks for today’s action
Syracuse -8.5 over Louisville (-110)
Louisville is coming off a 23-point loss to Kentucky over the weekend – and it actually covered (by a half-point). With that, the Cardinals are now 3-11 ATS this season. No, that is not a misprint; 3-11 ATS. It’s hard to recommend betting on Louisville right now, even if the spreads are probably bloated. Although 8.5 is a sizable number, it’s not outrageous. And it’s one Syracuse should cover.
The Cardinals faced a zone defense against Western Kentucky and won that game while shooting well, but Syracuse certainly isn’t Western Kentucky. Louisville ranks 280th nationally in 3-point shooting percentage and that is not a recipe that is going to break down the Orange zone. The Cards do not have the profile of a good zone offense, as they shoot it poorly. El Ellis is essentially the only guard in the rotation. That is a big reason why they rank just 357th in assist rate. You need to be a good passing and shooting team to beat a zone, or you need to at least be able to offensive rebound. Louisville does neither; it ranks 287th in offensive-rebounding rate. Count on the Orange winning big.
Be sure to check out our full Syracuse vs Louisville predictions
Alabama -12.5 over Ole Miss (-110)
Ole Miss is a modest 8-5 SU on the season and has lost 2 straight after falling to North Alabama in addition to Tennessee. North Alabama is ranked #287 in KenPom, so that loss could haunt the Rebels if they end up being on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Going into Alabama and getting a win seems to be a tough challenge for an Ole Miss team that just suffered such a bad loss – even if the spread is 12.5. That’s a sizable number, but nothing outrageous.
The Crimson Tide are 11-2 SU on the season with their only losses coming to UConn on a neutral site and to Gonzaga (played in Birmingham). Their offense will likely be too much for the Ole Miss defense, as they are averaging 83.2 points per game and have scored more than 90 points on 5 occasions during this 2022-23 campaign. According to KenPom, Alabama is ranked #17 in adjusted offensive efficiency. The pick here is a win and cover for Alabama.
Be sure to check out our full Ole Miss vs Alabama predictions
Pittsburgh ML over Virginia (+200)
Virginia has taken a tumble out of the top 10 with losses in 2 of its last 4 games to Houston and Miami (FL). Both of those teams are currently in the top 12, so not exactly bad results. However, a road date with Pittsburgh is also very difficult on paper. The Panthers are 3-0 in the ACC following a recent victory over North Carolina and they haven’t lost on their home floor since the 2nd game of the season to West Virginia. UVA games are generally so low scoring that the margins are extremely small more often than not. I expect that to be the case once again on Tuesday, so getting Pittsburgh at +200 has great value.
Be sure to check out our full Virginia vs Pittsburgh predictions
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