Can I go back-to-back days cashing a college basketball parlay set at +300 odds or longer? Let’s find out.
The pregame narrative: Tonight’s +365 wager is headlined by a matchup between the UCLA Bruins and the No. 20 Purdue Boilermakers. A game total prediction and a moneyline pick round out the ticket.
Check out my NCAA basketball predictions for Feb. 28.
NCAA basketball predictions
Full college basketball betting markets
Parlay: UCLA +8.5 | James Madison/Texas St. over 142.5 points | Akron ML (+365)
UCLA +8 (-175): Where’s Zach Edey when you need him?
Last year’s Purdue squad typically had the size advantage, but with Edey graduating to the NBA, the 2025 team has faced a new frontier.
- The Boilermakers rank 143rd in NCAA Division I in average height, per KenPom.com, while the Bruins rank 56th.
- Also, Purdue ranks 338th in 2-point field goal percentage allowed (56.0%).
Given that both teams do most of their offensive work inside the arc, this matchup profiles well for UCLA to at least keep things close.
I’m always a bit hesitant to back a road team that’s had to travel across the country, but the Bruins have had four full days off. And they’re catching the Boilermakers at the right time.
Purdue is on a four-game losing streak, and two of those losses came as the favourite.
UCLA is 16-11-1 ATS this year, and the program has covered or pushed a +8 spread in 26 of 28 games.
Other parlay picks
James Madison/Texas State over 142.5 points (-110): Neither the James Madison Dukes nor the Texas State Bobcats play fast, but there are still several reasons to like the over on tonight’s projected total.
- Both teams excel at the free-throw line, shooting better than 76.0% apiece (top-55 in the country). Texas State is also remarkably foul-prone, allowing the 22nd-most free throws per game.
- According to KenPom’s efficiency metrics, James Madison and Texas State rank 100th and 116th, respectively, in adjusted offensive efficiency. Meanwhile, both teams rank outside the top 225 in defensive efficiency.
- Overs are 8-3 in Texas State home games this season.
- Overs are 4-1 in JMU’s past five games — and all five cleared this total.
KenPom projects 149 total points for tonight’s matchup, while BartTorvik.com projects 147.
Akron moneyline (-182): Aside from a deflating loss to the Ohio Bobcats last Saturday, the Akron Zips have been rolling through Mid-American Conference play.
Akron (22-6, 14-1 MAC) is easily the top candidate to represent the MAC in this year’s NCAA tournament. The Zips have only lost one game so far in the new year.
Tonight, they face the Kent State Golden Flashes, their suburban rivals situated 20 minutes down the road. The Zips dusted the Flashes at their place, 85-71, last month.
Now, Akron gets them at home.
The Zips’ primary weakness is an inability to get to the free-throw line, but the Flashes can help with that. Kent State yields 21.6 free throw attempts per game, which is the 54th-most in the country.
Akron has a top-10 scoring offence (83.7 PPG) and is 14-0 at home.
Picks made at 12:15 p.m. ET 02/28/2025
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.