Ricky Dimon
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The only bad part about the first 2 days of March Madness is that by the time they end the NCAA Tournament will already be more than halfway over – at least in terms of the number of games. Alas, there is no reason to dwell on any bad news. This is one of the best times of the year for sports fans and the first round of the Big Dance always delivers a plethora of entertainment. What will transpire as the rest of the teams take the court for their tournament openers?
Here is my 3-team mega parlay for Friday, and also make sure to check out our March Madness basketball picks for all of the games.
VCU ML (+160)
Providence ML (+150)
Kansas State -8.5 (-110)
NCAAB parlay odds: +1141
For this parlay we are going with 2 underdogs on the money line and one favorite against the spread. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
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VCU ML over Saint Mary’s (+160)
How deep is this VCU team? Well, 5 different players have led the way in scoring over the last 5 games. Nobody is averaging more than 12.7 ppg this season, but 5 are contributing at least 9.3 ppg. It may be tough for them to go all the way without a clear superstar on the roster, but winning a game or two in the Big Dance should not be a problem with this kind of depth. The Rams have been successful in March on plenty of occasions in the past and I expect them to be exactly that once again. They won the Atlantic 10 regular-season title and then steamrolled through the conference tournament, defeating Dayton in the final. Saint Mary’s also reached its league final, where it promptly got blown out 77-61 by West Coast Conference powerhouse Gonzaga. These Gaels are good but far from great. I’m pushing my VCU chips into the center of the table.
Providence ML over Kentucky (+150)
Providence is 21-11 on the season and got into the NCAA Tournament as one of the last at-large teams to make the field of 64 without requiring a play-in game. I wouldn’t worry too much about the Friars’ #11 seeding, though. They are better than that number suggests and they are better than their recent results indicate. Three of their recent losses have come to UConn and Xavier – 2 bona fide Final Four contenders. It’s not like Kentucky is playing great right now, anyway. It has dropped 2 of 3, including to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament. These aren’t your grandfather’s Wildcats. Don’t be surprised if they disappoint the most rabid fanbase in college basketball yet again.
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Kansas State -8.5 over Montana State (-110)
Kansas State is battled-tested in the Big 12, which has won each of the past 2 National Championships (Baylor in 2021, Kansas in 2022) and has a real chance to make it 3 in a row with plenty of top contenders in the field. The Wildcats aren’t necessarily one of those contenders, but they have a great chance to at least make the second week of the tournament. They were ranked for a good portion of the regular season thanks in part to victories over Baylor (twice), Iowa State, Kansas, TCU, Texas and West Virginia – all NCAA Tournament teams. Montana State won the Big Sky Conference Tournament, but is just 3-6 ATS in its last 9 outings. The Bobcats haven’t been dominant against bad competition and I don’t think they are ready for a steep step up in class in the form of Kansas State.
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