Following the conclusion of March Madness action on Friday night, the Elite Eight lineup will be set. The Sweet 16 ends with a bang, as Friday’s slate tips off with a showdown between Duke and St. John’s. Also on the blockbuster schedule is UConn vs. Michigan State.
Here is my 3-leg parlay for Friday, and also be sure to check out all of our NCAA tournament picks.
St. John’s +6.5 over Duke (-108)
Michigan State ML over UConn (+110)
Tennessee ML over Iowa State (+155)
March Madness parlay: +931
St. John’s +6.5 over Duke (-108)
St. John’s (30-6) is scorching hot. The Red Storm have won 21 of their last 22 games after battling past Kansas in round 2 of the Big Dance. Not unlike the Blue Devils, the Johnnies are fantastic on both ends of the floor. They score 81.1 points per game and give up only 69.4 while making 7.8 steals per outing. Head coach Rick Pitino’s crew is among the best in the business in turnover margin, too. Senior forward Zuby Ejiofor (16.3 ppg) anchors a physical frontcourt that can bang with anyone – including Duke’s Cameron Boozer. The Devils are without question among the best teams in the nation, but they messed around with Siena in round 1 and struggled with TCU for a half in round 2. Also, keep in mind that Pitino is an incredible 12-1 all time in the Sweet 16. This feels like more of a toss-up contest than the spread would suggest.
Michigan State ML over UConn (+110)
I rarely bet against Michigan State in a March Madness environment unless it is clearly the inferior team on paper. As the close-to-even odds indicate, that is not the case for this blue-blood battle between the Spartans and Huskies. Admittedly, it also hasn’t been wise to fade UConn in recent years – but this year’s squad is not as much of a juggernaut as the recent championship-winning teams. Head coach Dan Hurley’s outfit has not been playing its best ball, either. After starting the 2025-26 campaign 22-1, it went just 7-4 in its last 11 games prior to the Big Dance – including a 20-point loss to St. John’s in the Big East Tournament final. Give me Jeremy Fears Jr., Jaxon Kohler and the Spartans in this one.
Tennessee ML over Iowa State (+155)
Rick Barnes may not be able to rival Michigan State’s Tom Izzo in terms of national titles or Final Four appearances, but Tennessee’s head coach is approaching an Izzo-esque level of consistency in the NCAA Tournament. This is the Volunteers’ fourth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance and they are bidding for a third straight Elite Eight berth. They just might do it, too, because Iowa State is by no means the worst possible draw at this stage of March Madness. Cyclones second-leading scorer Joshua Jefferson suffered a sprained ankle early in the first round, missed last weekend’s game against Kentucky and is a game-time decision for Friday. If Jefferson is absent, ISU will have only 2 guys averaging more than 8.6 ppg. Led by a red-hot Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee is coming off a big win over #3 seed Virginia. Gillespie (18.4 ppg) has scored at least 21 points in 3 consecutive contests. Regardless of Jefferson’s status, this matchup has upset potential.
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