Ricky Dimon
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We have an intriguing midweek slate of college basketball on Wednesday. Eight top-25 teams are taking the court and there are two showdowns between ranked teams: Wisconsin at Illinois and Villanova at Marquette.
Wisconsin-Illinois is part of our 3-team mega parlay as we look to build on yesterday’s +597 parlay winner that came courtesy of Kansas, Maryland, and Texas Tech.
Wake Forest -12.5 (-110)
Missouri ML (+200)
Illinois -9.5 alternate spread (+145)
Parlay odds: +1303
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 legs.
Wake Forest -12.5 over Pittsburgh (-110)
Wake Forest lost to Syracuse over the weekend, but that is hardly cause for concern. First of all it came on the road and the Orange are especially formidable at the Carrier Dome. Moreover, the Demon Deacons had previously been on a 4-game winning streak. They have actually been playing great basketball all season, so that performance in Syracuse was an aberration as opposed to the rule. Most importantly, the Deacons now get to face Pittsburgh. To say that’s a downgrade in competition level would be a gross understatement. The Panthers are tied for 12th in the ACC standings and just a game out of last. Pittsburgh is 13th in offensive efficiency, 13th in effective field-goal percentage, and 16th (out of 16 teams) in committing turnovers. Leading scorer John Hugley (15.2 ppg) has scored below his season average in 3 consecutive contests, with his most recent points outputs being 11 and 9. Over its last 5 games, Pitt has averaged 58.8 ppg on 38.8% shooting and its road splits are not any better: 58.7 ppg on 39.4% shooting. You have to think that the Panthers won’t have enough firepower keep up offensively with Wake Forest; probably not even close.
Check out our Pittsburgh vs Wake Forest preview
Missouri ML over Florida (+200)
The Tigers are led by 6’7” junior Kobe Brown, who is averaging 13.0 ppg and 8.5 rpg – the rebounds figure ranks 4th in the SEC. Teammates Amari Davis and Jarron Coleman are each scoring in double figures with 10.3 ppg and 10.1 ppg, respectively. Florida beat Oklahoma State 81-72 this past weekend, but the SEC schedule hasn’t gone much better for the Gators than it has for the Tigers. UF is 3-5 in the conference. Missouri is 6-4 at home during the 2021-22 campaign and lost by just 1 point to No. 1-ranked Auburn last Tuesday. Don’t be surprised if Mizzou pulls off an outright upset.
Check out our Florida vs Missouri preview
Illinois -9.5 alternate spread over Wisconsin (+145)
This is a battle for sole possession of first place in the Big Ten standings. Based on the matchup, Illinois may be able to win this game by more than the standings would suggest. The Fighting Illini play off big man Kofi Cockburn, who ranks in the top 40 in the country in both usage rate and shot percentage. Very few opposing teams have an answer for Cockburn on the block and Wisconsin is no exception. Per Synergy, the Badgers rank in just the 25th percentile nationally in post-up defense. Therefore on paper it appears Cockburn should dominate on that end of the court. Similarly, the Illini are stout defensively down low. The Badgers will be forced to make jumpers and I’m not sure they can make enough to stay competitive.
Check out all our college basketball previews and picks for Wednesday
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