The first two days 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 Friday than with a mega parlay? ThatR 17;s right; I have crafted an NCAAB parlay for today’s games that pays out at nearly 9/1 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.
New Mexico Lobos ML over Clemson Tigers (-137)
Most college basketball bettors would argue that New Mexico is the better of these teams, and oddsmakers knew it when they made the 11th-seeded Lobos the favorite over the 6th-seeded Tigers in this matchup. The Lobos are very strong metrically (23rd in KenPom) and just ran through the Mountain West Conference tournament to get to this point, while Clemson has dropped 3 of its last 4 – including a 19-point loss to a rather hapless Boston College team in the ACC Tournament. Momentum isn’t the only thing that matters, but it clearly favors one team in this one.
New Mexico plays at one of the top-10 fastest paces in the country, while its defense applies a lot of pressure and speeds up the opponent on the other end. The other thing this Lobos team does well is force a ton of turnovers while valuing the basketball and avoiding turnovers thanks to a veteran backcourt that has plenty of big-game experience. Lastly, the Lobos are the better rebounding team, which could be massive in a close game where every possession has an outsized importance compared to the regular season. I love the Lobos in this spot, so let’s take New Mexico to advance on the money line.