Only 8 of the initial 68 teams are still dancing as we get closer and closer to the National Championship. With the Sweet 16 now in the rearview, the Elite 8 is upon us.
After looking at the Tipico Sportsbook’s NCAA Tournament odds and lines, here is a can’t-miss, Elite 8 parlay among our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
The weekend slate of games showcases no team higher than a No. 2 seed after 1-seeds Alabama and Houston were upset in the Sweet 16. The games will feature a 2-seed in Texas, two 3-seeds in Kansas State and Gonzaga, a 4-seed in UConn, two 5-seeds in Miami and San Diego State, a 6-seed in Creighton and 9th-seeded FAU.
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NCAA Tournament Elite 8 parlay
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 12:20 p.m. ET. All game times ET.
Leg 1: GONZAGA +2.5 (-112) vs. UConn — Saturday, 8:49 p.m.
While UConn had an impressive blowout against Arkansas in the Sweet 16, the Huskies’ strength of competition pales in comparison to Gonzaga’s Sweet 16 victory over UCLA.
Bulldogs F Drew Timme has been unstoppable in the tournament, averaging 28.3 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per game. He will be the key to the Bulldogs’ success and it is because of him that GONZAGA 2.5 (-112) is a great 1st leg of this parlay.
Gonzaga is the best shooting team in the country, ranking 1st in field-goal percentage (52.57% per NCAA.com).
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Leg 2: San Diego State vs. Creighton OVER 134.5 (-108) — Sunday, 2:20 p.m.
As it stands, 134.5 points would be the lowest closing line for both San Diego State and Creighton thus far in the tournament. It would also be the 2nd lowest line in San Diego State’s last 10 games and the lowest in Creighton’s last 10.
San Diego State has scored more than 70 points in both of its last 2 games, while Creighton has scored 70 or more in each of its 3 tournament games and at least 85 in its last 2 games. Creighton ranks 22nd in the KenPom offensive efficiency rankings and is accustomed to facing high-level defenses, ranking 35th in the KenPom rankings for opposing defensive efficiency.
The Bluejays’ offense has also been hitting on all cylinders from inside with C Ryan Kalkbrenner to outside the arc with G Baylor Scheierman, both of whom had more than 20 points in Friday’s win against Princeton making Sunday’s OVER 134.5 (-108) a great 2nd leg of this parlay.
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Leg 3: TEXAS -4.5 (-102) vs. Miami — Sunday, 5:05 p.m.
As the lowest seed left still dancing, Texas took down Xavier in impressive fashion in a Sweet 16 matchup Friday. Second-seeded Texas has been on an unstoppable tear dating back to its Big 12 Championship dismantling of Kansas by 20 points. The Longhorns rank 15th in offensive efficiency and 10th in defensive efficiency according to the KenPom rankings, while Miami ranks 6th and 104th in those metrics respectively.
With the 7th-most difficult schedule according to KenPom, Texas has not backed down to competition, rather it has flourished. It is 7-0-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last 8 games and will soon be 8-0-1 after Sunday night.
Texas will take down Miami with ease to advance to the Final Four, which will complete the 3rd and final leg of this parlay.
Try out the USA TODAY Parlay Calculator.
Parlay payout: Bet $10 to profit $62.20 (ticket pays $72.20).
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