Skip to main content

Top College Basketball Parlay Picks for Friday

Henry John

Last Updated: January 14, 2022 10:21 AM EST • 2 min 52 sec read.

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 06: Trent Frazier #1 of the Illinois Fighting Illini drives to the basket against Fatts Russell #4 of the Maryland Terrapins during the first half at State Farm Center on January 6, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. Michael Hickey/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Michael Hickey / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Friday's college basketball parlay picks include laying points with a Mountain West team looking to bounce back and a surprising road underdog on the moneyline in the WAC.

As is typically the case on Friday nights, the college basketball slate is fairly light this evening. However, there are still enough games for bettors to blend together some NCAAB parlay predictions. Each of the A10, Big Ten, MAC, and MAAC conferences have multiple games scheduled. There is also a late-night makeup game in the Mountain West Conference to consider.

Here are my top parlay picks for Friday's college basketball matchups. (Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on 1-to-5-star scale)

Top College Basketball Parlay Picks

Michigan vs. Illinois (-435) ????Davidson vs. Richmond (-110) ???Fresno State vs. UNLV +2 (-115) ???

SEE ALSO: Top College Basketball Expert Picks for Friday

Top College Basketball Parlay Predictions

Illinois (-435)

Michigan has hardly resembled the team many college basketball analysts thought it was coming into the year. The Wolverines have also only been able to play once since the start of the new year due to game postponements. That contest saw Juwan Howard's squad lose by eight to Rutgers.

After a virus-related pause of their own, Illinois has ramped things back up over the past week. Tonight's home game will mark Illinois' fourth Big Ten matchup in a 10-day span. They won each of the previous three by double-digits and also crushed the same Rutgers team that Michigan lost to last week. It's no secret that the Illini are loaded with talent. One could argue that they will have the two best players on the floor tonight in Trent Frazier and Kofi Cockburn.

When it comes to college basketball betting parlay picks, including Illinois as a solid home favorite figures to be a nice safe pick to help boost our odds.

Richmond (-110)

Aside from a poor home loss to St. Joseph's where they completely forgot to show up, the Richmond Spiders have yet to suffer a true "ugly loss" this season. The Spiders have plenty of depth and experience. Jacob Gilyard and Grant Golden have been around for what feels like forever. Tyler Burton and Nathan Cayo join Golden in forming a stout trio of upperclassmen in the frontcourt. Richmond remains a contender in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

While Davidson also fits the bill of being an A10 contender this season, its non-conference schedule was a bit lighter than Richmond's. While a one-point road win over a ranked Alabama team was impressive, the Wildcats lack many other true resume-building wins. Davidson also does not enjoy the same level of scoring depth behind its top three players that Richmond has.

It is worth pointing out that Friday's game will be the Spiders' first in nine days. Being at home should help Richmond clamp down defensively to atone for any shooting rust that may hinder the team early on. They may be catching 1.5 points, but we'll ride with the Spiders to get the outright win at a better price.

UNLV +2 (-115)

After a rocky start to the season, UNLV seems to have settled in recently. The Runnin' Rebels have won five of six games played over a span that dates back to Dec. 8. The only loss came on New Year's Day to a San Diego State team that is at or near the top of the Mountain West pecking order this season. Most recently, UNLV throttled a decent New Mexico outfit on Tuesday night, winning by 29 points at home.

While Fresno State has largely beaten the teams it should beat, the Bulldogs have not performed that well against tougher competition. FSU has only faced two Mountain West Conference opponents to date. The Bulldogs lost to Boise State before topping a very bad San Jose State team on Tuesday. Fresno State also averages only 63.9 possessions per game this season, the fourth-fewest in all of Division I men's hoops. The Bulldogs will be hard-pressed to slow down UNLV to a pace of their liking on the road tonight.

The Rebels are not only a good bet to cover the number tonight, but they have a real shot to win the game outright. We'll opt to take the two points for a little extra insurance in our college basketball parlay picks.

Combined Odds: Illinois (-435) + Richmond (-110) + UNLV +2 (-115) = +338

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

College basketball parlay picks made 1/14/2022 at 12:54 p.m. ET

Written By:
Henry John
Henry’s passion for sports dates all the way back to childhood and has ultimately led to a full-fledged career as an analyst and content creator. After getting his start penning fantasy football articles, he forrayed into the betting side of the business in early 2019. His love for sports and statistics proved to be an ideal match with the dedicated research and strategy that handicapping requires. Henry currently specializes in betting analysis and picks for college football, college basketball, and NASCAR. He counts NFL, WNBA, and NBA player props as additional leagues/markets of interest. Henry graduated from SUNY Buffalo in 2021 with a Communication Studies degree and a Psychology minor. A native of the Finger Lakes region in Upstate New York, he and his pup, Harold, have since relocated to Laramie, Wyoming. Thanks to his professional goals within the sports betting industry, there has been a whole lot of steam on the odds for a move to Las Vegas in 2023! Most of Henry’s free time is spent on outdoor adventures, playing chess, snowboarding, or reading a good book. He is also a competitive powerlifter and aspires to qualify for the USAPL Nationals meet within the next 2-3 years.