In case you haven’t noticed, it’s March! Yes, we’re just a few days away from college basketball Selection Sunday and things are heating up in preparation of NCAA March Madness. Thursday’s slate features a betting bevy of Top 25 matchups and that will be our focus for our college basketball betting parlay.
All the biggest games will be available from the BetUS online sportsbook. Remember you can parlay up to 20 bets and you’re not limited to college basketball games. Let’s look at three intriguing matchups for parlay betting.
Michigan State Spartans vs (2) Michigan Wolverines
It’s the 180th meeting between the Big Ten’s Michigan State (14-10; 8-10) and Michigan (18-2; 13-2) and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Michigan is trying to play spoiler here as it looks to stop MSU’s last-minute bid for the NCAA tournament.
MSU has been on the online sports betting lines lately with four wins in its last five, including upsets over Illinois and Ohio State. The embattled Spartans have relied on their stalwart defense, which has limited opponents to just 31.1 percent three-point shooting.
Michigan is coming off a blowout loss against Illinois in a game that saw them hit just two threes and have four assists to 11 turnovers. It was easily their worst game of the season. But they’ll bounce back against their arch nemesis.
The Spartans are a tough defense, but not nearly as good as the Illini. There is also a sizable disparity between MSU’s and Michigan’s offenses. I expect the Wolverines to capitalize on the Spartans’ inefficiencies and blow this one wide open.
Pick: Michigan to win and cover
Nebraska Cornhuskers vs (5) Iowa Hawkeyes
From one blowout to the next, we stick with the Big Ten where the Iowa Hawkeyes (18-7; 12-6) will face the division’s worst: the Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-17; 3-14). This will be their first and last meeting for the season.
The prolific Hawkeyes are no stranger to humongous spreads. They are 6-3 against spreads where they were double-digit favorites although they’ve lost the last two. Still, the Hawkeyes are averaging 84.7 points per game and shooting 40% from deep. They’re led by the National Player of the Year favorite Luka Garza who should feast here.
The Cornhuskers, to their credit, have a solid defense and are actually ranked in the top-50 by KenPom. But they have one of the worst offenses in the Power Five, which is why they’re only 5-6 as double-digit underdogs.
Iowa should win this game emphatically. They’re coming off a 16-point win against OSU and should continue to roll against the overmatched Cornhuskers.
Pick: Iowa to win and cover
Arizona State Sun Devils vs (24) Colorado Buffaloes
We’re completing our blowout hat trick with a Pac-12 matchup between the Arizona State Sun Devils (10-11; 7-8) and the Colorado Buffaloes (19-7; 13-6), who find themselves in the AP Top 25 after knocking out the previously ranked USC Trojans.
Colorado has battled inconsistencies this season, but at their best they are a top-20 KenPom team on both ends of the floor. The Buffaloes have a smooth offense and a disruptive defense, a deadly combination. They have a penchant for winning the turnover battle.
If the Buffaloes have a weakness, it’s rebounding. Their 34.7 boards rank 210th overall. That will be an issue in the NCAA tournament, but not against the Sun Devils who are ranked in the 300s in rebounding.
The Sun Devils lost one of their leading scorers in Josh Christopher and have consistently been blown out by the top teams of the conference. Colorado has covered six of the nine times they were favored by double digits. They’ll make it seven out of ten after this.
Pick: Colorado to win and cover
Michigan to cover, Iowa to cover, and Colorado to cover
If you’re feeling lucky, pile on more teams for your parlay. Better yet, start prepping for the Madness by downloading the bracket and entering BetUS’s March Mayhem contest for a chance at a cool million.
