NCAAB · 5 months ago

College Basketball Crown: Best 3-Leg Parlay for Tuesday

Grant White

Host · Writer

College Basketball Crown: Best 3-Leg Parlay for Tuesday

After an exciting few weeks, March Madness is on a brief hiatus as teams gear up for the Final Four. In the interim, the inaugural College Basketball Crown gets underway, continuing with a four-game slate on Tuesday afternoon. These are the three picks we’ve got highlighted for today’s action.

Best 3-Leg College Basketball Crown Parlay for Tuesday

Leg 1: DePaul vs Cincinnati Under 144.5

Where to Watch DePaul vs Cincinnati

Arena: MGM Grand Garden Arena
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Where to Watch: FS1
Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
Spread: Cincinnati -9.5 | Total: 144.5
Moneyline: Cincinnati -550 | DePaul +380

The Cincinnati Bearcats had an unforgiving fall over the regular season’s final weeks. The Bearcats lost four of their last five to fall entirely out of the NCAA Tournament picture. Still, we’ve seen the best they have to offer, which should be more than enough to get past the DePaul Blue Demons, in what should be a low-scoring game.

The Bearcats sharpened their claws on the defensive side of the ball. They ranked 21st in KenPom’s defensive efficiency rating, while holding opponents to an average of 65.7 points per game.

Still, that wasn’t enough to offset some of their offensive shortcomings. Cincinnati averaged 70.5 points per game on offense, dropping them to 231st in the country. Sadly, the Blue Demons don’t sit much better, ranking 168th with an average of 72.8 points per game.

DePaul will struggle to break through Cincinnati’s rigid defensive exterior, and the Bearcats don’t possess a breakaway offense. As a result, there’s no way this game eclipses the 144.5 total.

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Leg 2: Villanova -3.5

Where to Watch Colorado vs Villanova

Arena: MGM Grand Garden Arena
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Where to Watch: FS1
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Spread: Villanova -3.5 | Total: 146.5
Moneyline: Villanova -185 | Colorado +155

The Villanova Wildcats shot themselves in the foot down the stretch. Nova dropped two crucial decisions in the season’s waning moments, being relegated to the College Basketball Crown tournament instead. They’ll need to get past the Colorado Buffaloes in an opening-round tilt.

Villanova’s downfall all season was its ineffective defense. Still, that doesn’t negate its vivacious offense. The Wildcats ranked 26th in terms of offensive efficiency rating, which translated to 73.4 points per game and 46.2% shooting. Most notably, the Wildcats were the best three-point shooting team in the country, draining 39.8% of their shots from distance.

While Colorado was a solid defending team, as reflected in their 54th defensive efficiency ranking, they were atrocious at defending the three. The Buffaloes gave up a 34.1% three-point shooting percentage on the season, inflating to 35.6% over the season’s final three games.

The Wildcats are content to slow the pace and wait for open looks from range. In doing so, they can put a substantial gap between themselves and the Buffaloes. Consequently, we like their chances of covering a short number.

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Leg 3: USC -9.5

Where to Watch Tulane vs USC

Arena: MGM Grand Garden Arena
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Where to Watch: FS1
Time: 11:00 p.m. ET
Spread: USC -9.5 | Total: 159.5
Moneyline: USC -425 | Tulane +320

The Tulane Green Wave put together a respectable 19-14 record in the AAC; however, their metrics look much worse when adjusted for the weak competition they faced. As a result, we’re betting the USC Trojans can run away with tonight’s nightcap in Las Vegas.

Tulane was utterly ineffective on both sides of the ball. At the end of the season, they had the 135th-ranked offense and 170th-ranked defense, per KenPom’s adjusted ratings. Not surprisingly, that correlates with a 15-16 record against the spread, with only 12 of those games going over the total.

Granted, the Trojans’ 16-17 record doesn’t inspire much confidence. Still, they hold several notable advantages over the Green Wave. First, they put together the 24th-best shooting percentage in the country, hitting 48.2% of their shots from the field. Second, they are much more efficient on offense, sitting 38th in offensive efficiency. Finally, they have a more effective approach on defense, which they can use to contain Tulane’s lackluster offense.

USC is vastly superior to the Green Wave, reflected in the spread. Nevertheless, the Trojans should have no problem pulling away and covering the hefty number.

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Best 3-Leg College Basketball Crown Parlay for Tuesday: DePaul vs Cincinnati Under 144.5, Villanova -3.5, USC -9.5 (+587)

Parlaying these three picks yields bettors a potential return of +587. Bettors should anticipate a low-scoring affair, with Villanova and USC both wielding advantages to cover their respective spreads.