Ricky Dimon
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It has been a slow week in college basketball with the exception of Saturday, when there was a sizable slate despite some Covid-19 cancellations. Schools are out for Christmas break and basketball teams are getting some time off. But there are at least some games on Sunday, and that gives us an opportunity for a mega parlay.
Here we go:
Arizona State ML (+135)
Kansas State -11.5 alternate spread (+360)
Parlay odds: +981
For this parlay we are going with one underdog on the money line and one favorite on an alternate spread. Let’s break down each of the two legs one by one.
Arizona State ML over San Francisco (+135)
It is hard to find fault with the perfect 10-0 start that the Dons brought into yesterday’s game against Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, San Francisco fell by a point. Guard Jamaree Bouyea is a potential all-WCC performer this year, averaging 20 ppg. He is a super senior and those numbers are solid, and he just dropped 30 points on UNLV 2 games ago. San Francisco is one of the most experienced teams around. This is another spot in which they are good enough to get a win against a major conference team. Arizona State is still a game under .500 but with 3 straight wins, they should be playing with confidence when San Francisco comes to town. All 3 of those wins have been close but 2 were against Oregon and Creighton, so perhaps something is building. They have been winning without forward Marcus Bagley, too, and he is supposed to be their best player. Arizona State is starting to get more regular production from the likes of transfers Jay Heath and Marreon Jackson. If the Sun Devils can realize their potential, they can be dangerous.
This is a tough spot for the Dons. They lost their first game of the season yesterday and are playing again on the road today. Back-to-back games are rare in college hoops, especially landing in a road environment as opposed to a tournament setting. San Francisco was not covering games even when it was building that 10-0 start to the season (3-7 ATS), either. Both of these teams have been playing pretty slow and in a game with fewer possessions getting the home team — in an underdog role, even with shaky Arizona State — is the way to go. Take Arizona State.
Check out our Arizona State vs San Francisco preview
Kansas State -11.5 alternate spread over Nebraska (+360)
Nebraska (5-6) will host Kansas State (6-3) following a 99-68 loss to now-No. 13 Auburn in the Holiday Hoopsgiving Basketball Showcase last Saturday. The Cornhuskers are on a 4-game losing streak, losing by an average margin of 20.8 ppg in that span, and have yet to win a game in December. Nebraska is 0-5 on the season against Power-5 conference opponents and are losing by an average margin of 18.2 ppg in those contests. The Cornhuskers are led by their backcourt duo of Bryce McGowens and Alonzo Verge Jr. who are scoring 16.2 ppg and 16.0 ppg, respectively, and are the only players averaging double-digit points per game for Nebraska.
The visiting Wildcats are coming off a 82-64 win over Green Bay at home last Sunday. Although Kansas State has been a bit inconsistent offensively, they still have the 115th-ranked offense in the nation compared to 204th for Nebraska, and their 20th-ranked defense has locked their opponents down all season as no opponent has scored over 72 points against them. Kansas State has been far more impressive this season, while also playing a more difficult schedule. The Wildcats held their own against former No. 14 Illinois, defeated 8-3 Wichita State, and lost by a single point to an 8-4 Shaka Smart-led Marquette team. Back Kansas State to win big.
Check out all our college basketball previews and picks for Sunday
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