Caleb Wilfinger
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After a long and unpredictable college basketball season, March Madness has certainly lived up to its name thus far. We’re on to the Sweet 16 this week, and what a tournament it has been! We have seen massive upsets on both sides of the bracket, to go along with a few near buzzer-beaters, wild comebacks, improbable meltdowns and everything in between.
With the first week days of the tournament in the rearview mirror, it’s time to turn to the business end of the proceedings. And what better way to celebrate a massive 4-game college hoops slate on Friday than with a mega parlay? That’s right; I have crafted an NCAAB parlay for today’s Sweet 16 games that pays out at over 6/1 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Also, be sure to keep an eye on our March Madness picks for all the content you need to get you primed for all of the games.
Gonzaga ML (+200)
Marquette alt spread -9.5 (+145)
NCAAB Parlay odds: +635
Gonzaga Bulldogs ML over Purdue Boilermakers (+200)
Don’t look now, but Gonzaga has advanced to another Sweet 16 under head coach Mark Few. And while the Bulldogs might not have expected to be here, they are playing as well as any team in the nation heading into this week. In fact, over the last 6 weeks the Bulldogs have been a top 10 team per BartTorvik and the results speak for themselves. This is a top-3 offense in the nation and they will look to push the tempo and generate a ton of looks in transition and from the outside — something that Utah State failed to do against a Purdue defense that is certainly susceptible on the perimeter with its guards.
The biggest issue for Gonzaga in this game will be limiting the effectiveness of Zach Edey, particularly on the offensive glass. However, the Bulldogs do have plenty of bodies in the frontcourt to throw at Edey, plus they have a pair of bigs in Ben Gregg and Braden Huff that can force the Purdue big man to guard on the perimeter. If Few’s team can avoid foul trouble and capitalize on its opportunities in transition, this one should be close down the stretch. Let’s go with Gonzaga to pull the upset on the money line.
Check out our full Gonzaga vs Purdue predictions
Marquette Golden Eagles alt spread -9.5 over NC State Wolfpack (+145)
Marquette got off to an extremely slow start against Western Kentucky in the Round of 64, igniting some concern when it suddenly trailed by 10 points late in the first half. Since that point, the Golden Eagles haven’t looked back, having played 3 consecutive terrific offensive halves of basketball en route to a Sweet 16 appearance. Shaka Smart’s team shot 73.5 percent from 2-point range against Colorado, and that might even improve against an NC State unit that just 225th in field-goal percentage defense at the rim. Additionally, NC State is also very poor in pick-and-roll defense, so it can be expected that Tyler Kolek, Kam Jones and the Marquette offense have its third straight excellent offensive game on Friday.
The Golden Eagles are extremely strong at the guard position, which puts their offense in a great position to succeed against an NC State team that loves to press at a high rate this season. Conversely, Marquette could have some issues defending NC State big man DJ Burns in the post, but in the end it seems unlikely the Wolfpack will be able to keep up with a red-hot Golden Eagles offense by playing through the post on the majority of their possessions. Ultimately, I’ll take an alternate line with Marquette and look for a double-digit victory to boost our odds.
Don’t miss our full Marquette vs NC State predictions
