First Round NCAA Tournament Parlays

March Madness is here and that means the most exciting time of the college basketball season. Thursday and Friday are super days for NCAA Tournament action and that means a lot of chances to put together winning parlays. I won’t nail myself down to just one particular parlay on either Thursday or Friday, as I will give you multiple teams to consider for some three, four and maybe even five-team parlays. There are a lot of games to consider, so let’s get to Thursday and Friday NCAA Tournament parlay teams.

Virginia -5.5 vs. Furman

The Cavaliers are seeded No.4 while the Paladins are a No. 13 seed. I think this number is too small considering Furman hasn’t done anything this season to indicate they can beat a good team. They played only two teams that were considered decent and they lost to both, falling to Penn State and NC State. The Cavaliers play stout defense and they should shut down the Paladins. I’ll lay the points and take Virginia on Thursday as one of the NCAA Tournament parlay teams.

Utah State -1.5 vs. Missouri

You don’t see No. 10 seeds favored that often over No. 7 seeds and that should tell you something. The oddsmakers realize that the Aggies are the better team. Missouri can be dangerous when they shoot the 3-ball well but when they don’t, they really struggle. They are also the worst defensive rebounding team in the country. The Aggies also live and die by the 3-point shot but they have far more experience than the Tigers with four of their starters having already played in an NCAA Tourney game. I’ll take the Aggies as another March Madness parlay team.

Texas A&M -2.5 vs. Penn State

The Aggies have a coach in Buzz Williams who knows how to win big games. They play excellent defense and they hit the offensive glass in waves. I know Penn State made a great run in the Big 10 tourney, but I am not sold on the Big 10 in general. Let’s see if Penn State can find a way to score against a stout Aggies defense. I’ll lay the points and take A&M as a college basketball parlay team.

Kennesaw State-Xavier over 151

If there is one thing that I know about Xavier is that they score a lot of points. The team also doesn’t play much defense. Souley Boun should have a field day in this contest. Kennesaw State is going to try and run and gun with the Musketeers and that should mean a game that flies over the total. I will go over 151 in this contest for another option in NCAA Tournament parlays.

UNC-Asheville +15.5 vs. UCLA

I was high on UCLA to make a deep NCAA Tourney run until they lost their top defender in Jaylen Clark. I think his absence will cause UCLA to have trouble, especially in games like this one where they are a big favorite. UNC-Asheville can score and they have a center in Drew Pember who can do it all. I don’t know that the Bulldogs can win, but they can cover this one against the Bruins.

UC Santa Barbara +10.5 vs. Baylor

The Bears have a great backcourt but a weak frontcourt. The Gauchos also have a solid backcourt so this one could be interesting. Baylor will try and speed things up while Santa Barbara will slow things down.  If the Gauchos can stay out of foul trouble they can stay in this game throughout and we are catching double-digits. This is a very experienced Santa Barbara team that I will take to get the cover against the Bears.

Miami -2.5 vs. Drake

This is my go-against the public game of the first round. It seems everyone is on Drake in this 5-12 matchup. I know the history of this seeding matchup and that the No. 12 seeds have done well. I just don’t think Drake is any good and I know Miami is a solid team. They have a potent offense led by Isaiah Wong and a head coach in Jim Larranaga who knows how to win. Drake hasn’t played anyone and they rely heavily on the 3-point shot. I’ll go against the public and take Miami.

Check out the latest March Madness Odds at Top Online Sportsbooks.