Ricky Dimon
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We have 6 top-25 teams taking the court in college basketball on Thursday. Among them are second-ranked Gonzaga, No. 6 Purdue, and No. 7 UCLA. But let’s take a look at some different games in this article. Here is my 3-team mega parlay for today’s games.
Nebraska ML (+270)
Loyola Chicago -9.5 alternate spread (+180)
Colorado -2.5 (-110)
Parlay odds: +1878
For this parlay we are going with two favorites against the spread – one on an alternate number – and an underdog on the money line. Let’s break down each of the legs.
Nebraska ML over Wisconsin (+270)
Call me crazy, but Nebraska – which is winless in the Big Ten – has a real chance in this one. Wisconsin is coming off a 12-point loss at home to Michigan State. The Badgers’ defense fell apart in that game and they didn’t get anything offensively from anyone other than Johnny Davis and fellow guard Brad Davison. As for the Cornhuskers, they have gone 10 days without playing a game. Sure they may be rusty, but when you are still winless in your conference some extra rest may be just what the doctor ordered. The ‘Huskers stayed within 7 points of Indiana in their most recent outing. No matter the discrepancy in talent level, winning on the road in the Big Ten is never a guarantee. At +270, Nebraska is worth a shot.
Check out our Wisconsin vs Nebraska preview
Loyola Chicago -9.5 alternate spread over Southern Illinois (+180)
This is a bizarre piece of scheduling in which Loyola Chicago and Southern Illinois are playing a back-to-back, home-and-home situation that you normally only see in the NBA – and even then on rare occasions. The Ramblers and Salukis just faced each other on Tuesday, when Loyola Chicago took care of business at home 59-47 as a -12.5 favorite. Now the Ramblers are -6.5 favorites on the road. This is a good matchup for them, as they rank 8th overall in the nation in 2-point shooting percentage and the Salukis rank 227th in 2-point shooting percentage defense. I don’t think the location will make much of a difference; the Ramblers can win this one by double digits.
Check out our Loyola Chicago vs Southern Illinois preview
Colorado -2.5 over Washington (-110)
The visiting Buffaloes are coming off an 82-78 road win over Oregon on Tuesday. They are led by sophomore forward Jabari Walker, who is scoring 13.9 ppg and grabbing a team-high 8.5 rpg — which ranks 3rd in the Pac-12. Teammates Evan Battey and Keeshawn Barthelemy are scoring in double figures with 12.1 ppg and 11.1 ppg, respectively. The Buffaloes have won 3 of their last 5 meetings against the Huskies and have won by an average margin of 17 points in that span. Washington is also just 5-4 at home this season while averaging 66.9 ppg, which is 5.7 points fewer than they average on the road. Colorado defeated Washington by 14 points at home earlier this month, holding Terrell Brown Jr. (20.9 ppg) to nearly 10 points below his season average and out-rebounding Washington by 20. The Buffs should cover with ease.
Check out all our college basketball previews and picks for Thursday
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