Caleb Wilfinger
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The college basketball season is in full swing and Saturday brings us another great slate filled with nonstop action and marquee games from Noon until deep into the night on the east coast. And what better way to celebrate a massive college hoops slate on Saturday than with a mega parlay? That’s right; I have crafted an NCAAB parlay for today’s games that pays out at nearly 10/1 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook.
And, like always, don’t forget to check out all of our college basketball predictions for today’s games.
Arizona State ML (+190)
Wake Forest -1.5 (-110)
Texas +8.5 (-110)
NCAAB Parlay odds: +958
Arizona State Sun Devils ML over Washington State Cougars (+190)
To start off our mega parlay, I’m going to target one of the better situational spots on the board, and it comes on the west coast. Few teams are flying higher than the Washington State Cougars, and they deserve credit for their play this season. After all, this team was selected to finish 10th in the Pac-12 in the preseason media poll and is now the favorite to win the league following a dramatic win (featuring a four-point play in the final minute!) as 13.5-point underdogs against Arizona on Thursday. The Cougars are undoubtedly putting together a special season, but traveling to Tempe for a game just 45 hours after pulling off one of the biggest wins in recent program history is a difficult task for any team. Arizona State’s offensive metrics are extremely poor but the Sun Devils do have a top 50 defense per KenPom. Given that this game should be played at a glacial pace as well, I’ll take a shot with the hosts in a brutal letdown spot for Washington State.
Check out all of our college basketball predictions for today’s games
Wake Forest Demon Deacons -1.5 over Duke Blue Devils (-110)
On the surface, there isn’t much reason to fade Duke at the moment, as the Blue Devils are in the midst of a 5-game winning streak and are coming off back-to-back road victories over Florida State and Miami. However, this is a situation where we’re getting to back a group that is on the upswing and clearly has the metrics of a team that is better than its record. After all, Wake Forest boasts a perfect 14-0 record at home this season and are quietly up to 20th in KenPom, sitting inside the top 30 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
A concerning bit of news for Duke is the Blue Devils could be without sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor, who suffered a concussion in the first meeting between these teams on February 12. In that very same meeting, Wake Forest only lost by 8 points despite one of its worst 3-point shooting performances of the season thus far. I’d expect for some positive regression in that regard at home, as this should be the most focused effort we see from Wake Forest all season. Let’s back the hosts to pick up a massive victory in the second leg of our parlay.
Texas Longhorns +8.5 vs Kansas Jayhawks (-110)
To round out our mega parlay, we’re heading to the Big 12 where we have yet another big game at Phog Allen Fieldhouse to headline the evening slate. It’s no secret that this is not exactly a vintage Kansas team, but Bill Self’s group has still be dominant at home this season. However, while the Jayhawks are 13-0 on their home floor, there have been multiple instances in Big 12 play where the visitors have come very close to pulling out an extremely rare victory at the Fieldhouse. In fact, TCU, Cincinnati and Baylor all covered the closing number with ease, all of which were listed as three-possession underdogs or more. That’s exactly the same situation we’re seeing for Texas on Saturday, despite the fact that the Longhorns are riding a 2-game winning streak in this series.
Texas simply matches up well with Kansas, particularly in the frontcourt with Dylan Disu impacting the game with his shooting and quickness. I could certainly see Disu giving Hunter Dickinson some major issues as the game wears along, and the same can be said for Max Abmas at point guard for the Longhorns. The Oral Roberts transfer has settled in nicely during league play, so DaJuan Harris Jr. and the Jayhawks defense will need to be disciplined and communicate well on ball-screens throughout the game. There’s also the matter of injuries, as Kansas’ lack of depth has been tested in recent weeks. Kevin McCullar Jr. is still battling a bone bruise in his knee and his performance has suffered as a result. Nonetheless, he’s still an absolutely essential piece to this team and I absolutely wouldn’t be comfortable laying more than two possessions if he can’t go on Saturday. With the difficult matchup at hand and an uncertainty about McCullar’s status in in mind, let’s back Texas to keep things close.
