Ricky Dimon
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On this Thursday last year, conference tournaments throughout the nation were cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Twelve months later, March Madness is going full steam ahead—albeit with little to no fans depending on the venue and an NCAA Tournament that is being played in its entirety in the state of Indiana. For now, those major conference tournaments that were lost in 2020 finally have their chance to shine.
Here’s our five-team parlay for Thursday:
Virginia -5 (-110)
Seton Hall -1 (-110)
Oklahoma State ML (+130)
Florida ML (-330)
Oregon State +5 (-110)
Parlay odds: +2249
For this parlay we mix in two favorites against the spread, one underdog and the points, and two money line winners (one favorite and one underdog). Let’s break down each of the five legs one by one.
Virginia -5 over Syracuse (-110)
Virginia comfortably earned a double-bye as the conference regular-season champion, a feat it accomplished with a two-game winning streak right at the end combined with some late struggles by Florida State. The Cavaliers got back on track following a brief slump by beating Miami and Louisville in succession–both by double-digits. Most encouraging for UVA’s chances on Thursday, though, is the previous head-to-head matchup with Syracuse. At home on Jan. 25, the Cavaliers crushed the Orange 81-58. Sam Hauser and Jay Huff both delivered 21 points, leading four Virginia players in double-figures. The Wahoos dominated the boards 41 to 28, which is a statistic that can be easily replicated. Syracuse did well to thump N.C. State in the second round on Wednesday in Greensboro, but the second game of a back-to-back situation against a far superior opponent will surely be a much different proposition.
Seton Hall -1 over St. John’s (-110)
The Pirates lost their last four games of the season. They may not look like a team ready for a run, but if they can just get this first game things could turn out for them. Sandro Mamukelashvili might be the best player in the conference. At the very least he is a difficult matchup; now he just has to show it more consistently. St. John’s had a sneaky good season in the Big East this year, but this team is dealing with bubble pressure. The Red Storm do not have a lot of size, which could bite them against Seton Hall. On paper, the Pirates boast considerably more talent. They have three players who can really impact any game–led by Mamukelashvili and Jarrett Rhoden.
Oklahoma State ML over West Virginia (+130)
Oklahoma State is on fire–6-0 against the spread and 5-1 straight up in the last six games, including a straight up win and cover in its last game against West Virginia. Projected No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft Cade Cunningham is back in action and he should help propel the Cowboys to another win against the Mountaineers. West Virginia has failed to cover each of its last three games. The Cowboys are one of the hottest teams and the country and the line should represent that, even though it actuality it does not. This neutral-court situation in the Big 12 Tournament makes transition basketball very important, which highly favors Oklahoma State.
Florida ML over Vanderbilt (-330)
The Commodores got past a terrible Texas A&M team in the first round of the SEC Tournament. Thursday’s test will surely be a lot tougher. With the way Florida has been playing, there is more than enough reason to back a big win for the favorites here. First of all, the Gators have the fifth-most efficient offense in the SEC. They have the second-highest effective field goal percentage, the fourth-highest three-point shooting, and second-highest from inside the arc. Those numbers alone are likely to result in ownership what has been a horrible Vanderbilt defense. Additionally, the Commodores rely heavily on the three-pointer. They actually have the second-best three-point shooting in the conference, but Florida defends the three-point line at the second-best mark in the SEC. They hold their conference opponents to 29.2 percent from downtown.
Oregon State +5 over UCLA (-110)
UCLA was picked to finish first in the Pac-12, and they didn’t disappoint throughout the 2021 season. However, we’ve recently started to see some cracks in the armor, and these cracks should be worrying signs as you evaluate how to proceed with this Pac-12 Conference Tournament quarterfinal matchup. UCLA dropped its final three games of the regular season and it is an ugly 3-10 against the spread over the last 13 games. It doesn’t sound like things will get easier on Thursday, as leading scorer Johnny Juzang is listed as questionable. The guard has averaged 14.2 points per game, and while UCLA has about half a dozen players who can reasonably put up double-digit point totals, Juzang’s prowess from the line and beyond the arc adds an extra dimension to UCLA’s attack. Meanwhile, Oregon State may be trending in the right direction. While they lost their season finale, the Beavers have still gone 4-2 straight up over their last six games and they are an excellent 7-1 against the spread over their last eight.
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