Top College Basketball Parlay Picks for Thursday

Henry John

Last Updated: January 20, 2022 8:07 AM EST • 3 min 6 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 08: Tommy Kuhse #12 of the Saint Mary's Gaels is introduced before a game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the West Coast Conference basketball tournament semifinals at the Orleans Arena on March 8, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bulldogs defeated the Gaels 78-55. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Ethan Miller / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Thursday's college basketball parlay picks include the underdog in a marquee WAC showdown and a Mountain West team riding a 10-game win streak.

The list of intriguing games on Thursday's college basketball slate is never-ending. Conference play is in full swing, and there are terrific matchups taking place all across the country. Bettors certainly have several options to consider when constructing a college basketball parlay.

Here are my top parlay picks for Thursday's college basketball action (odds via BetMGM; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Thursday's Top College Basketball Parlay Picks

Grand Canyon (+100) vs. Stephen F. Austin ???Boise State +1.5 (-115) vs. Utah State ???Santa Clara vs. Saint Mary's (-450) ?????

Top College Basketball Parlay Predictions

Grand Canyon (+100)

The toughest road trip of the season for the Grand Canyon Antelopes begins on Thursday against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. This will be the first meeting between the schools as WAC cohorts with SFA joining the league this year. GCU will be putting its 4-0 conference record on the line in a game that has seen the line move heavily against it. The Lumberjacks are now laying 1.5 points at BetMGM after oddsmakers opened Grand Canyon as a two-point road favorite.

The Antelopes have gotten off to a 15-2 start to the season thanks to clutch shooting and a suffocating defense. Grand Canyon has allowed only 56.1 points per game. That mark is over 10 full points fewer than the 70.5 Stephe F. Austin has allowed to date.

Head coach Bryce Drew’s team has also fittingly been red-hot from beyond the 3-point arc in recent games. Guards Jovan Blacksher Jr., and Holland Woods are both shooting better than 39% from deep on the season. Blacksher also ranks fourth in the WAC in scoring, averaging 16.9 points per game.

While SFA has started the year 7-2 at home, four of those games were against non-Division I opponents, and the Lumberjacks have been very inconsistent to date. The same team that knocked off Abilene Christian on the road and played Kansas to an eight-point loss has also dropped games to Louisiana-Monroe and Tarleton State.

Bettors are getting an even-money price to take the better Grand Canyon team on the moneyline, making this a great first leg for Thursday's college basketball parlay picks.

Boise State +1.5 (-115)

One would have to go all the way back to November to find the last time the Boise State Broncos lost on the hardwood. A six-point win over Air Force on Tuesday extended the win streak to 10 straight games for head coach Leon Rice’s squad. Despite this, BSU is listed as a short underdog for Thursday's Mountain West Conference clash on the road against Utah State. The Aggies come in on the heels of their third consecutive loss and are just 1-4 in MWC play.

Bettors may be skeptical of backing a Broncos team that seemingly just barely slipped by Air Force two nights ago. However, the final score really did not do that game justice. Boise State led by double digits for the better part of the second half. If not for a shooting dry spell over the final four minutes and change, the final margin would have likely exceeded 10 points. Then again, the Broncos have a defense capable of overcoming such scoring droughts. They also have an emerging star in freshman forward Tyson Degenhart. He led all scorers in Tuesday’s game with 19 points.

There will be a contrast in styles between the slow, defensive-minded pace of the Broncos and the high-scoring, up-tempo Aggies. While Utah State has had to open up conference play against some of the top teams in a very deep league, it also lost outright to Air Force on Dec. 29. Until Boise State’s run comes to an end, there is no reason to go against the red-hot Broncos.

Saint Mary's (-450)

Rounding out Thursday's college basketball parlay is a simple moneyline wager on the Saint Mary’s Gaels as sizeable home favorites for their WCC matchup with the Santa Clara Broncos. Although head coach Randy Bennett’s team might only be the fourth-best program in the West Coast Conference this season, the Gaels are still a feisty contender.

Defense is the focal point for Saint Mary’s this season It enters Thursday’s contest allowing an average of only 58.0 points per game. That mark is easily the best in the WCC. Such prowess as a team on the defensive end will be huge against an SCU team that leads the conference in 3-point shooting percentage (37.7%).

The Gaels are also a perfect 9-0 outright on their home floor this season. Expect that perfect record to remain intact to complete our college basketball parlay picks.

Combined College Basketball Parlay Odds: Grand Canyon (+100) + Boise State +1.5 (-115) + Grand Canyon (-450) = +356

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

College basketball parlay picks made 1/20/2022 at 12:30 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.