Parlays

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The Purdue Boilermakers look to make the Big Ten Tournament final, but the UCLA Bruins stand in the way. The Bruins upended the Michigan State Spartans on Friday night 88-84 as +5.5 underdogs with the Over (141.5) cashing. Donovan Dent went for 23 points, 12 assists and 4 steals with 3 triples, and Trent Perry chipped in with 22 points. UCLA has covered 4 in a row and 6 of the past 7, and head coach Mick Cronin’s team is arguably playing its best basketball of the season.

The Boilermakers suffered a 69-67 loss to the Bruins at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 20, as UCLA won outright as a 5.5-point underdog as the Under (147.5) cashed. Purdue showed Nebraska the door on Friday, 74-58, and it has won its Big Ten Tournament games by an average margin of victory of 14.5 points. That’s a stark contrast from how the Boilermakers finished the regular season, losing 3 of the final 4 games while going 0-4 against the spread. Purdue is resurgent now that the postseason is underway, but it lost to UCLA in the regular season and the Bruins have a ton of confidence after ousting Sparty.

Purdue vs UCLA prediction: UCLA +7.5 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable to +6.5.

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It’s far from the biggest game on Saturday’s loaded college hoops slate, but arguably the best situational spot on the board comes in the AAC tournament, where we’ll see the Tulsa Golden Hurricane take on the Wichita State Shockers in the second game of the semifinal round. South Florida is the clear top team in this league, but Wichita State has been a pleasant surprise, finishing with a 13-5 record in the American and closing the season on a 6-game winning streak to secure the #2 seed in this tournament. The Shockers have beaten this Tulsa team recently, and they even have a win over South Florida on the road back in January, one of only 2 games that the Bulls have lost at home all season. On the other side, while Tulsa is in the midst of an excellent 25-6 season, the Golden Hurricane are operating at a significant disadvantage in this game — and it stems from a game they just played.

While Wichita State had a bye to the semifinals in this tournament, Tulsa played its first game against North Texas on Friday, and it resulted in a triple overtime thriller with plenty of back-and-forth action. These 3 extra periods resulted in the key players on the Golden Hurricane logging major minutes, with multiple starters even clearing 50 minutes played in what was a slugfest from start to finish. Now, Tulsa will have to play a fresh and rested Shockers team less than 24 hours after winning such an emotionally and physically taxing game. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be shocking if this Tulsa team ran out of gas at some point in the second half, especially since the Golden Hurricane have a real challenge on their hands against one of the better defenses in this conference. These teams have been basically identical over the last month, so I will back the Shockers in as good of a situational spot as we’ll see this weekend.

Tulsa vs Wichita State prediction: Wichita State ML (+105) available at time of publishing. Playable to -105.

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The Big 12 championship features the top 2 teams in the conference, as the Houston Cougars face the Arizona Wildcats. These teams are loaded, hungry and poised for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament — but first they will face off for the conference title. Houston easily dispatched Kansas last night, while Arizona had to win with a dramatic buzzer-beater against a tremendous Iowa State squad. Arizona won the only regular-season meeting, taking down Houston 73-66 in Houston (and star freshman Koa Peat missed that game for Arizona). I expect the Wildcats to win the rematch, and I will take them to cover -2.5.

The first matchup was not a flawless performance by the Wildcats, but they still got the win. Houston won the battle on the boards, and it held the ‘Cats to just 3-for-12 shooting beyond the arc. Arizona won that game by forcing turnovers, scoring in transition and scoring in the paint. I expect those advantages to remain. Houston’s calling card is its elite defense, but over the course of the season, Arizona actually checks in a notch higher in that department. We would really be splitting hairs here, as the Wildcats and Cougars rank #3 and #5 defensively (per KenPom), but the point remains that we can’t overlook the Arizona defense. I expect the Cougars to have a hard time against a team they can’t bully. Give me Arizona to take the crown in Kansas City.

Houston vs Arizona prediction: Arizona -2.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets clash on Saturday afternoon for a Central Division battle. These opponents have met just once this season in a 3-2 Avalanche win, and now get set for their second matchup and first of three in an eight-game span. To get you set for this upcoming NHL action, we have provided our Avalanche vs. Jets prediction.

Colorado has been playing strong NHL teams for a prolonged period, as 11 of their past 12 games have been against teams who are currently on in the playoffs, or extremely close. They are fully battle-tested, and now they take on a team in Winnipeg that has been out of the playoff hunt all season. Any swagger gained from a nice 4-0-2 run has quickly vanished for Winnipeg, as they have lost 2 straight games and have been outscored 10-4. Things won’t get easier hosting arguably the NHL’s best team. Colorado is well-versed on the road, and have shown full confidence with a 20-6-5 record away from their building. Not only does Colorado lead the NHL in scoring (3.80 goals per game), but they also lead in defending (2.42 goals against per game). Home ice advantage and any strong play from elite goaltender Connor Hellebuyck will not be enough for Winnipeg. For our Avalanche vs. Jets prediction, take Colorado to win in regulation.

Avalanche vs Jets prediction: Colorado 3-way ML (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable to -140.

The Montreal Canadiens welcome the San Jose Sharks to the Bell Centre for their only matchup of the season. These two teams faced off in early March in a high-scoring game, with 12 goals, and the Sharks emerged victorious with a 7-5 win. We can expect a good amount of offence from both sides, but probably not at the same level as their previous meeting. This game will likely come down to goaltending, an area where both teams have struggled throughout the year.

The Canadiens are averaging 3.53 goals per game, placing them in the top five in the league. While their defensive play is still a work in progress, their goaltending has improved in recent games. Jakob Dobes is confirmed to start, and although his overall numbers aren’t elite, he boasts a record of 21-6-4 for the season. The Sharks are a strong offensive team, but have been less effective on the road. The Canadiens sit just four points behind Buffalo for the top spot in their division, so they need to secure wins, especially against weaker opponents. There is a possibility that this game could go into overtime, something the Canadiens are no strangers to. Hopefully, Montreal can handle business in regulation time.

Sharks vs Canadiens Prediction: Canadiens 3-Way ML (-120) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number or better.

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The Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks are set to meet for the fourth and final time this season on Saturday night. The Canucks claimed the first meeting back on December 29, with the Kraken winning the next 2 matchups on January 2 and February 28. Heading into the series finale between these Pacific Division teams, the Kraken have dropped 4 games in a row and have been bumped from the Western Conference playoff picture. Trailing the Kings by 2 points for the final wild-card spot in the West, look for the Kraken to enter this matchup with a heightened sense of urgency. They handled the Canucks easily 5-1 in their last meeting — and despite their recent skid, they should enter this matchup with confidence.

Neither of these teams light up the scoreboard offensively, but the Kraken own the edge defensively. The Canucks are allowing an NHL-high 3.68 goals per game, whereas the Kraken are 12th by giving up 2.98. Seattle plays a much more stingy defensive style of play, which should be able to stymie a Vancouver team that is scoring the second-fewest goals per game in the league at 2.52. Furthermore, the Canucks have struggled on home ice all season. They are just 7-20-5 at Rogers Arena and have just 1 win over their last 6 home games. With so much more to play for, let’s back the Kraken on the road.

Kraken vs Canucks prediction: Seattle ML (-130) available at time of publishing. Playable to -135.