The first Thursday morning of the NCAA Tournament always feels like Christmas morning to college basketball fans. Considering the drama and intrigue we’ve seen in recent years, I couldn't be more excited for this edition of March Madness to finally get underway. And what better way to celebrate a massive 16-game college hoops slate on Thursday than with a mega parlay? That’s right; I have craft ed an NCAAB parlay for today’s games that pays out at nearly 11/1 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Let’s dive in, but make sure you also check out our'college basketball picks for EVERY game throughout March Madness.
Drake Bulldogs ML over Washington State Cougars (-115)
A season ago, we saw Drake hold an 8-point lead against the eventual South Region winner Miami Hurricanes with 5 minutes to play. However, the Bulldogs let that game slip through their fingers, a loss that has undoubtedly fueled them on their way to a Missouri Valley title this season. The Bulldogs have a healthy mix of talented freshmen and veteran mainstays in their rotation, plus the two-time Missouri Valley Player of the Year in Tucker DeVries. Since losing to Indiana State on February 3, Drake has won 9 of its last 10 games, including a dominant showing in the MVC Tournament. Per BartTorvik, the Bulldogs have been one of the 32 best teams in the nation over the last month, well ahead of a number of higher seeds, including Kansas, Alabama, South Carolina and Utah State, among others.
On the opposite side of the court, Washington State is a team that outperformed all expectations this season, finishing with some impressive wins in conference play against the likes of Arizona and Colorado, which earned them a #7 seed. With that said, this team felt a bit overseeded to me and Drake isn't a great matchup for a Washington State side that plays extremely slow (314th in adjusted tempo per KenPom) and can't shoot threes. It doesn't help matters that the Cougars are 297th in turnover percentage, a concerning stat against a Drake team that is 29th in that same metric over the past month. Let’s go with the Bulldogs on the money line.