Ricky Dimon
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Fridays are never the busiest on the college basketball slate, because Saturday is when most of the top teams in the nation – or most teams in the nation, period – take the court. This week is no exception. That being said, we still have enough to work with as we try to formulate a winning mega parlay. Butler, St. John’s, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi State, and VCU are among the teams in action.
Let’s take a look at our three-team mega parlay for Friday.
Richmond ML (+115)
Mississippi State -11 (-110)
Maryland -6 alternate spread (+175)
Parlay odds: +1029
For this parlay we are going with two favorites against the spread – one on an alternate number – and one underdog on the money line. Let’s break down each of the three legs one by one.
Richmond ML over VCU (+115)
VCU won the first matchup 64-62 thanks to a season-high 22 points from leading scorer Vince Williams Jr., who paced the offense to an efficient 50.9% shooting from the field. One could argue that Richmond outplayed VCU despite the loss. The Spiders forced 19 turnovers, attempted 7 more shots from the field, and also had 14 more free-throw attempts than the Rams. However, the Spiders endured one of their worst shooting performances of the season — making only 35.5% of their shots. Leading scorer Tyler Burton managed just 5 points on 1-of-12 shooting from the field. It’s unlikely to see those aberrations happen again.
Richmond boasts one of the most balanced offenses in the country, averaging 73.5 points per game with 3 different players contributing at least 12.0 ppg. The Spiders share the ball around with effectiveness, ranking 36th nationally with 15.8 assists per game. What is more impressive is that the Spiders average 8.3 steals per game and Jacob Gilyard leads the country with 3.2 spg. VCU has some of the worst ball security in the nation, averaging 15.25 turnovers per game — which ranks 330th. This is a good spot for Richmond to gain some revenge.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Richmond Spiders vs VCU Rams
Mississippi State -11 over Missouri (-110)
Mississippi State’s offense is led by junior guard Iverson Molinar, who ranks 3rd in the SEC with 18.6 ppg and a team-high 3.9 apg. Teammate Garrison Brooks is also scoring in double-figures with 11.4 ppg. The visiting Tigers are coming off a 76-57 home loss to Arkansas on Tuesday. Missouri dropped to 4-8 in the SEC and has now lost 3 of its last 5 games. Nobody on the team is averaging more than 12.6 ppg (Kobe Brown). The Tigers have failed to display consistency on offense or defense. They rank in the bottom half of the SEC in points and points allowed and have lost 7 of 9 road games this season. Nothing really bodes well for Missouri heading into this contest.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Missouri Tigers vs Mississippi State Bulldogs
Maryland -6 alternate spread over Nebraska (+175)
After almost beating Purdue last weekend, the Terrapins are on the road at the Big Ten’s worst team on Friday night. The scene is likely to be dead in Nebraska, so it’s not like the Cornhuskers will have a big home-court advantage. Maryland is definitely the more talented team. Nebraska has just one victory in Big Ten play this season. That came against Minnesota on February 9, snapping a 12-game losing streak against conference foes.
For better or worse, Nebraska likes to play fast. The ‘Huskers are last in the Big Ten on offense and second-to-last on defense. This is a great spot for backing Maryland. It would still be wise to get behind the Terps in this spot, though, mainly because their backcourt is superior. If they can play even 80% as well as they did in their last game at Purdue, this should be an easy win.
Check out all our college basketball previews and picks for Friday
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