Ricky Dimon
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It’s a big week (and eventually even bigger weekend) in college basketball, although things cool off a bit on Wednesday following Tuesday’s Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. Still, there is more than enough to work with on the betting market. Among the teams in action today are Michigan State, Minnesota, Indiana, Wisconsin, Florida, Marquette, Miami (FL), and Virginia Tech.
We cashed a +1022 parlay on Sunday before Kansas, Georgia, and Missouri all covered the spread to hit a +596 parlay on Tuesday. Let’s keep the momentum going!
Miami (FL) -19.5 alternate spread (+115)
Virginia Tech -17.5 (-110)
Marquette ML (+110)
Parlay odds: +762
For this parlay we are going with two favorites against the spread (one on an alternate spread) and one underdog on the money line. Let’s break down each of the three legs one by one.
Miami (FL) -19.5 alternate spread over Lipscomb (+115)
Miami looks for its third straight win as it hosts Lipscomb. The Hurricanes head into this one having notched victories over Penn State (63-58) and Clemson (80-75) in their last two games. For a team that hasn’t shot the ball well from three-point range most of this season, the ‘Canes connected on 11 of 25 shots from deep in their most recent win over Clemson. Lipscomb has not done enough on the defensive end of the floor to inspire confidence, ranking 317th in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom (108.1 points allowed per 100 possessions.) Hurricane guards Kameron McGusty (16.7 ppg) and Isaiah Wong (14.9 ppg) have the ability to penetrate the lane and that will test the Bison defense all night long. The ‘Canes could very easily win this one by 20 or more.
Check out our Lipscomb vs Miami preview
Virginia Tech -17.5 over Cornell (-110)
Cornell plays extremely fast, ranking second in KenPom’s average possession length. That’s all well and good, but more possessions likely lead to a bigger blowout when there is sizable discrepancy in talent level between the two teams. The Big Red rank 170th in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency, which signals that there could be some regression on the horizon – especially against a defense like Virginia Tech. The Hokies rank 42nd in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing opponents to shoot just 23.4 percent from the land of plenty. This is a very disciplined defensive unit that ranks 13th in defensive free-throw rate. Meanwhile, Cornell allows the opposition to shoot 44.7 percent on threes, which is problematic against the Hokies squad that boasts a bevy of shooters in its lineup — namely Nahiem Alleyne, Justyn Mutts, and Hunter Cattoor. Virginia Tech should roll.
Check out our Cornell vs Virginia Tech preview
Marquette ML over Kansas State (+110)
The Golden Eagles are off to a solid start under new head coach Shaka Smart. They have wins over Illinois, Ole Miss, and West Virginia, while losses to St. Bonaventure and Wisconsin are nothing about which to hang their head. Darryl Morsell never carved out an offensive role when he was with Maryland, but he is a 14 ppg scorer for Marquette. Kansas State is probably without leading scorer Nijel Pack, who is dealing with a concussion. Winning on the road is never easy, but Marquette has an identity they can lean on with Smart at the helm and it looks like the Golden Eagles are getting the Wildcats at the right time given Pack’s status.
Check out all our college basketball previews and picks for Wednesday
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