Top College Basketball Parlay Picks for Thursday

Thursday brings us a college hoops bonanza of games. We have a strong 64-game slate with college basketball parlay pick opportunities all across the hardwood.

We start with the premier game of the night, with Purdue and Michigan battling in Ann Arbor for a classic Big Ten matchup. Let's also examine two Northeast Conference matchups with an intense rivalry between Wagner and Mount St. Mary's, followed by a revenge spot for the St. Francis Red Flash at Fairleigh Dickinson.

Which dog will bite? Which favorites will find a way to cover the spread?

Here are my picks and predictions for Thursday's college basketball matchups (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on 1-to-5-star scale).

Thursday's College Basketball Parlay Picks

Purdue -3 (-115) vs. Michigan ????Mount St. Mary’s +8 (-110) at Wagner ????St. Francis (PA) -2 (-112) at Fairleigh Dickinson ???

SEE ALSO: Arizona vs. Washington State College Basketball Picks

College Basketball Parlay Predictions

Purdue -3 (-115)

The Boilermakers are playing better than any team in the country. They bring college basketball's No. 1 rated offense to Ann Arbor tonight to face a Michigan team that has struggled to match preseason expectations. The Wolverines were selected first in the Big Ten preseason poll, but currently sit with an uninspiring 6-5 conference record.

These two teams met last Saturday in West Lafayette, with the Boilermakers escaping with a 82-76 win. Michigan covered in the loss, but also shot 44.4% (8 of 18) from deep while Purdue only managed 27.8% (5 of 18) from long distance. The regression monster should come for both of those numbers tonight.

In addition, Michigan hasn't been playing well defensively. The Wolverines rank second-worst in 2-point percentage allowed, with opponents shooting over 53% from inside the arc. That is a matchup nightmare against Purdue big men Zach Edey (68% FG) and Trevion Williams (56% FG) who dominate the interior.

With the explosive Jaden Ivey (17.7 points per game) playing at an All-American level, this line simply isn't high enough to back the Wolverines, even at home. Purdue is currently in a three-way tie for first place in the conference with Illinois and Wisconsin. The team can earn a crucial win tonight in Ann Arbor.

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Mount St. Mary's +8 (-110)

This is a bitter NEC rivalry that saw Wagner win five consecutive games before a massive upset by Mount St. Mary's in last year's NEC Tournament semifinals. The Mountaineers went on to win the conference tournament and earn an NCAA Tournament bid, while the Seahawks were left in misery on their home floor.

This matchup became even more interesting when second-leading scorer Elijah Ford (11.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG) suffered a season-ending knee injury in Saturday’s win over LIU. That makes Wagner very short-handed against a Mountaineers team that carried a six-game winning streak before a one-point home loss to Bryant on Saturday.

The Mount will bring a stifling man-to-man defense that has held conference opponents to just 43.1% from inside the arc. The Mountaineers have also been lighting up the nets from deep, shooting an NEC-best 37.8% from beyond the arc against conference foes.

Wagner is 10-0 in the NEC, but the Mount is sitting at 7-3, well within striking distance of a now compromised Seahawks roster. This line is too high given the absence of Ford and has already started to drop from the opener of Wagner -9.

Rivalry game in the NEC? Take the points with the Mount.

St. Francis (PA) -2 (-112)

Fairleigh Dickinson is one of the worst teams in college basketball. Its only NEC win this season was at St. Francis (PA) on New Year's Eve, when the Knights shot a shocking 54% from inside the arc en route to a 70-62 win. I'm backing the Red Flash to get their revenge tonight on the road.

St. Francis has been playing much better of late, competing well in close home losses to Bryant and Merrimack. Fairleigh Dickinson is just 2-3 at home against the spread and has failed to cover three of its last four games. The only win against the spread came as a favorite against Central Connecticut.

The Knights still have some of the worst offensive metrics in the country, including the 326th effective field-goal percentage. Fairleigh Dickinson also continues to suffer from an excessively high offensive turnover rate. I'm backing the Red Flash to get their revenge tonight in a weak home-court environment against the worst team in the NEC.

Combined Odds: Purdue -3 (-115), Mount St. Mary's +8 (-110), St. Francis -2 (-112): +575

SEE ALSO: All picks and odds. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com’s community forums and betting tools.

College basketball parlay picks made 2/10/2022 at 11:09 a.m. ET