Caleb Wilfinger
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The second round of the NCAA Tournament is here, and what a tournament it has been so far! We’ve seen massive upsets on each of the first two days, to go along with a few near buzzer-beaters, wild comebacks and everything in between. Now, what better way to celebrate a massive 8-game college hoops slate on Saturday than with a mega parlay? That’s right; I have crafted an NCAAB parlay for today’s Round of 32 games that pays out at nearly 7/1 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Let’s dive in, but make sure you also check out our college basketball picks for EVERY game throughout March Madness.
Gonzaga alt spread -10 (+220)
Michigan State ML (+138)
NCAAB Parlay odds: +662
Gonzaga Bulldogs alternate spread -10 over Kansas Jayhawks (+220)
While I like Gonzaga to move on to yet another Sweet 16 under head coach Mark Few, the path to a blowout victory feels a lot simpler for the Zags than most would expect. For starters, this Kansas team is not the dominant force that we’re used to seeing in most years under Bill Self, and the Jayhawks will be missing Kevin McCullar in this matchup. Kansas is already a team that doesn’t have much of a bench, so McCullar’s absence hurts even more in this short turnaround setting, especially when playing at elevation against an accelerated pace that Gonzaga will force. We’ll see how the beleaguered Jayhawks hold up in this one after coming off a thriller against Samford.
Even separating the massive situational edge that Gonzaga has in this matchup, they’re simply the better team from a metrics and eye test perspective, particularly of late. Over the last 6 weeks, the Bulldogs have been playing like a top 10 team per BartTorvik and the results speak for themselves. This is a top 3 offense in the nation and they’ll look to push the tempo and generate a ton of looks from the outside, something that Samford did with ease against this Kansas defense. Even in the halfcourt, I trust Gonzaga’s offensive rebounding to generate extra possessions against a Jayhawks team that doesn’t clean up on the glass. If the Bulldogs win, I expect it to be by a large margin.
Check out our full Gonzaga vs Kansas predictions
Michigan State Spartans ML over North Carolina Tar Heels (+138)
Don’t look now, but Tom Izzo is on the doorstop of another appearance in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. His Michigan State Spartans were a team that had all the talent in the world and looked to be a National Championship contender heading into the regular season, but ultimately underachieved for the majority of the campaign. However, this has looked like a different group since the start Big Ten tournament and while the Spartans could’ve absolutely beaten Purdue in last week’s Big Ten quarterfinals if not for some questionable officiating, I think they get the job done here against an overvalued North Carolina squad.
Yes, the Tar Heels are supremely talented, particularly in the backcourt. However, the only consistent offensive force they can rely on at this stage is R.J. Davis. Harrison Ingram has shown flashes of brilliance in conference play, but he’s also shrunk in big spots as well (most notably in last weekend’s ACC Tournament Final against NC State). Armando Bacot is a rock solid presence in the paint, but Michigan State has the speed and experience at guard to pull him away from the basket and make him guard on the perimeter. The Spartans struggle to defend the post but North Carolina struggles with forcing turnovers and they can’t defend the three-point line at all (249th per BartTorvik since Feb. 9). In a game that should come down to the wire, I’ll take a shot with the better coach and a talented Michigan State team.
