Tuesday, January 12 presents a small but packed online betting slate for college basketball. We have a handful of the top 25 teams facing off including a tasty matchup between two Big Ten powers. Additionally, we get showcase games from two top 10 teams plus college basketball’s top-ranked prospect. Let’s preview our college basketball betting odds for parlay purposes.
Best College Basketball Betting Parlay | Best of Jan. 12
(8) Wisconsin Badgers at (10) Michigan Wolverines
This Tuesday’s “main event” features a tilt between two Big Ten heavyweights: Wisconsin and Michigan. The Badgers are 9-1, and 4-1 in the conference, with their sole loss coming in an upset against the 2-5 Terrapins. Meanwhile, Michigan is unbeaten atop the conference at 5-0 with an 8-0 overall record.
This is a classic offense versus defense matchup. The Badgers’ top 10 defense, which only allows 89.2 points per 100 possessions per kenpom.com will go against the Wolverines’ offense, which has shredded the competition to the tune of 52.5% shooting. This includes a 25-point blowout of No. 16 Minnesota.
I usually favor great defense over great offense, but the tiebreaker here are free throws. Michigan is first in the Big Ten at 80.7 percent from the line. It will be a close one, but lean on the Wolverines to get their most impressive win to date.
(9) Tennessee Volunteers vs Vanderbilt Commodores
Per college basketball news, we are losing the original matchup between Tennessee and South Carolina due to COVID. Instead, the Vols will now travel to Vanderbilt in the first of their two meetings this week. Tennessee is 9-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC while Vanderbilt is 4-5 and 0-3 in the SEC.
The Vols have won four of their last five and have covered in three of these games, whereas the Commodores have only won one but covered two. Vandy is also winless as a dog (0-5). Tennessee will be significant favourites here and there’s little reason to think Vandy can pull an upset.
Vandy allows almost as many points as it scores and the Vols have a nice mixture on offense, especially with sophomore guard Santiago Vescovi putting up points. The Vols will utilize their fantastic ball movement to keep dumping points on the hapless Commodores.
(6) Kansas Jayhawks at Oklahoma State Cowboys
Sportsbook fans have ourselves a matchup between an elite team in the Jayhawks and an elite prospect in Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham. The Jayhawks are 10-2 overall and 4-1 in the Big 12 while the Cowboys are 8-3 but only 2-3 in the conference.
Kansas’s notorious defense should be the key to this matchup. Cunningham may be the top prospect in college right now but the Jayhawks allow a measly 61.6 points per game. They also have their own star player in freshman guard Jalen Wilson.
The Cowboys shouldn’t be slept on, however. They beat Kansas State utilizing effective ball movement and sharpshooting. But they’ll need to push this up a notch if they want to prevent Kansas from suffocating them. Odds are, Kansas won’t be stopped. But Oklahoma State will be.
Parlay: Tennessee, Kansas, and/or Michigan
This parlay set-up isn’t all heavy chalk. Tennessee is the anchor of your college basketball picks and you get to choose between Kansas at lower odds or Michigan at higher odds and adjust your bet accordingly. Put all three together for plus-money, though you’ll subject yourself to a white knuckle experience with the Wolverines.
