Ricky Dimon
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March is here, and the madness is not far behind. Some small conference tournaments are underway, bigger ones will get going next week, and round one of the NCAA Tournament is less than 2 weeks away. We are coming down the home stretch of college basketball’s regular season, with some big games set for Saturday and Sunday. As usual, the Friday slate is light by comparison but we do have some small conference tournament action in addition to an Atlantic 10 showdown.
Let’s take a look at our three-team mega parlay for Friday.
Richmond ML (+160)
Southeast Missouri State +15 (-110)
Morehead State ML (+167)
Parlay odds: +1225
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 St. Bonaventure (+160)
These 2 teams were picked to finished first and second in the conference during the preseason but find themselves each needing to win the Atlantic 10 Tournament for a berth in the Big Dance. Richmond fell to 10-7 in Atlantic 10 play after losing at home to Dayton on Tuesday night. The Spiders have not been able to put it together and consistently play well, but they have a good chance bounce back from their loss to the Flyers. St. Bonaventure is currently 11-5 in the conference 19-8 overall. That isn’t good by its standards. With 5 senior starters coming back, the Bonnies were ranked in the preseason top 25 AP poll but have completely disappointed. They just got blown out at VCU 71-51 on Tuesday and may be without Osun Osunniyi for this one. The Spiders were lights out from beyond the arc in the first meeting and more of the same should be in store, as St. Bonaventure ranks in the 200s in guarding threes. Look for a minor upset in this one.
Check out our Richmond vs St. Bonaventure preview
Southeast Missouri State +15 over Murray State (-110)
Murray State was able to complete an undefeated regular season (18-0) and has not lost since its 71-58 road setback against Auburn in mid-December. The Racers are led by 6’10” junior KJ Williams, who leads the OVC with 18.2 ppg along with the 2nd-most rebounds in the conference at 8.5 rpg. The visiting Redhawks are coming off a 79-55 win over Tennessee State in the quarterfinals of the OVC Tournament on Thursday. They dominated the game from the start, forcing 19 turnovers, out-rebounding the Tigers by 15, and never relinquishing their lead — which eventually grew to 31 points. Southeast Missouri State’s offense is led by junior guard Eric Reed Jr., who is averaging 16.3 ppg. The Racers have defeated the Redhawks in each of their two meetings this season by an average margin of 13.5 points. Although Murray State is the superior team, tonight’s spread is a bit too generous for the favorite especially considering the fact that Southeast Missouri State lost by just 2 points in their most recent meeting. Take the Redhawks to cover.
Check out our Southeast Missouri State vs Murray State preview
Morehead State ML over Belmont (+167)
Morehead State is coming off a 73-56 win over Tennessee Tech last night in the quarterfinals of the OVC Tournament. The Eagles finished conference play with a 13-5 record and have won 3 of their last 5 games. Their offense is led by 6’10” freshman Johnni Broome, who averaged the 3rd-most points in conference play with 16.5 ppg and led the OVC with 10.6 rpg. Skyelar Potter and Tray Hollowell are each scoring in double-figures with 10.7 ppg and 10.4 ppg, respectively. Belmont and Morehead State have split their season series with each team winning at home. The Bruins won by a single point in their most recent game, while Morehead State won by 9. The Eagles are 2-0 at neutral sites this season. They were dominant in their win over the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech, out-rebounding them by 8 and never relinquishing a lead that eventually ballooned to 22 points. Look for Morehead State to take momentum from yesterday’s victory into tonight.
Check out all our college basketball previews and picks for Friday
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