Basketball Parlay of the Day: Thursday, January 24

Disclaimer: Every basketball parlay in this series is going to be a simple 4-legger, so we won’t be getting too crazy nor diving into the hellish world of teasers or 10-leggers. A 4-leg basketball parlay is RISKY so approach with caution and avoid tossing full unit bets on these picks. With that said, who doesn’t want to toss down a little parlay that can pay you out exponentially more money. After all, sports betting is supposed to be fun. Why not live a little?

Our parlay yesterday got busted early on, but we’re back in action tonight featuring the Warriors plus a bunch of late-night West Coast college hoops. Without further ado, let’s dive back into things and break down today’s parlay.

Basketball Parlay of the Day

• Warriors (-9) @ Wizards
• Washington (+2.5) @ Oregon
• Arizona (Pick Em) @ USC
• Gonzaga (-20) @ Santa Clara

Golden State Warriors vs Washington Wizards – 8:00pm ET

Boogie’s return to the Warriors initially raised questions about his potential fit and if he might take away too many looks from their other all-star scorers. Well, in just a two short games, it is safe to say that Boogie looks to be an ideal fit alongside the Warriors existing 4 all-stars. Offering them a versatile big body to plug their lone weakness, Cousins already makes this Warriors team better. With a few more games to get his playing legs back under him, it is scary to think the type of run this team might rattle off.

On the other hand, the Wizards are learning to cope with life without their biggest name in John Wall. They’ve played surprisingly well in his absence, but have shown that they really miss his scoring prowess against elite teams in losses to Philly and Toronto. However, without Wall this type of play can’t be expected to continue. The Wizards are a below-average team when it comes to pure talent and don’t give Beal enough consistent support to keep this run up.

The Warriors have been steamrolling teams as of late and that shouldn’t stop here on the road in Washington. The Wizards are going to miss Wall’s scoring output tonight as the Warriors put forth their usual barrage of 3’s and open the game up in the 2nd half while letting Cousins get some more running time.

Basketball Parlay Pick: Golden State Warriors (-9)

Washington Huskies vs Oregon Ducks – 9:00pm ET

Washington was expected to be the cream of the crop in the Pac-12 alongside Oregon. However, the Huskies are the only of the two teams to actually be living up to their preseason hype. Despite stumbling slightly in non-conference play, since turning to the Pac-12, the Huskies have been unbeatable.

Although Oregon has struggled to live up to their preseason expectations, they do have good reason. After losing freshman phenom Bol Bol, the Ducks have struggled to find consistency down low and have been beat up on by teams attacking the basket. Sorely missing the shot blocking and floor spacing prowess of Bol, the Ducks have limped to a sub .500 Pac-12 record.

Washington is simply the better team. Oregon is without a doubt a talented roster, but without Bol Bol, they’ve simply looked lost in the majority of their games. Expect the Huskies’ hot streak to continue as they cover en route to most likely winning outright.

Basketball Parlay Pick: Washington Huskies (+2.5)

Arizona Wildcats vs USC Trojans – 9:00pm ET

Dropping just one conference game to the streaky Oregon Ducks, the Wildcats have quietly put together a very solid season so far. After losing last season’s star players Deandre Ayton and Alonzo Trier to the NBA, sophomore Brandon Randolph has stepped up as a leader for the Wildcats this season. Lacking a true offensive stud, the Wildcats look to beat teams with an physical, yet disciplined defensive approach.

USC is an odd fit in the Pac-12. Running their offense through the massive big man pairing of Bennie Boatwright and Nick Rakocevic, the Trojans resemble more of a mid-2000’s Big 10 squad than a modern day Pac-12 program. Despite their size and skill down low, the Trojans lack the perimeter defending they need to keep most of the guards in the Pac-12 in check.

Arizona is flat out the better team. USC isn’t a notoriously hostile environment to play in, so Arizona should be far from rattled away from their home court. Considering Arizona has a winning record overall on the road as well, they should be able to cover this (and likely win outright) with ease.

Basketball Parlay Pick: Arizona Wildcats (Pick Em)

Gonzaga Bulldogs vs Santa Clara Broncos – 11:00pm ET

Gonzaga has been nothing short of spectacular this year. With their only losses coming at the hands of the #1 (at the time of this writing) ranked Volunteers and the also-ranked UNC Tar Heels. Gonzaga comes into the matchup favored by 20, which at first glance might be a bit daunting. Looking closer though, and we see that the Bulldogs have a great track record of covering games when favored by 20+ points.

Santa Clara lost to Gonzaga by nearly 50 points in the first matchup. Since then they’ve only beaten Pepperdine and Pacific, two of the worst teams in the WCC. I won’t waste much of your time talking about the Broncos or hyping up any part of their game. They aren’t even close to in the same class as Gonzaga.

Gonzaga is great at covering heavy point spreads and nearly beat the Broncos by 50 last time out. Don’t expect a home crowd to change the outcome much this time around, the Broncos simply don’t have it in them to come close to covering against the Gonzaga.

Total Payout: +1200 (varies from book to book)

Check back in tomorrow for another edition of the “Basketball Parlay of the Day” series on Fantasy CPR!