Part two of the best two days in sports is here, and I have a nice little three-team parlay to help build that bankroll for the Round of 32 games.
My three-leg parlay focuses on one favorite and then two late-night underdogs.
These are my best March Madness picks for Friday, March 21.
Today’s best March Madness parlay: Friday, March 21
St. Mary's -4.5
Xavier +3
Liberty +7
St. Mary’s -4.5
After watching the other WCC/SEC matchup on Thursday, I am even more confident in this matchup than I was before. The Saint Mary’s Gaels are one of the best defensive teams in college basketball, ranking eighth in KenPom’s defensive efficiency and fifth in scoring.
The Vanderbilt Commodores have a solid offense but struggle defensively. They are also entering this tournament on a three-game losing streak against the lower-level SEC teams, two of which lost their first NCAA tournament game.
I like the Gaels to play great defense and give Vandy fits with an efficient performance.
Xavier +3
The Xavier Musketeers are an excellent three-point shooting team, ranking sixth in the country at 39.1%. They also rank 11th in the country, shooting 79.0% from the free throw line. In the play-in game against Texas, they shot 12/25 from three in their dominant second-half performance.
The Illinois Fighting Illini are extremely inconsistent and struggle defensively. They have allowed at least 80 points in three straight games and recently lost to Duke 110-67 on a neutral court.
I just can’t trust them here in this spot, and I could easily see the Musketeers pulling off the upset.
Liberty +7
The Oregon Ducks are by far the worst of the Five Seeds in KenPom rankings at 33rd. That puts them below two 11 seeds. Meanwhile, the Liberty Flames are only one spot behind McNeese State in the rankings, who just upset Clemson on Thursday.
Liberty defeated McNeese State earlier this season on a neutral court.
The Flames thrive on efficiency, ranking sixth in the country in field goal percentage and 18th in field goal percentage allowed. The Ducks tend to go on big streaks of both winning and losing, and after their loss in the Big Ten tournament, it wouldn’t be a shock if they lost this game.
Either way, I love Liberty to cover the spread.
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