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2023 NCAA Tournament: Round 1 Same Game Parlay Picks (Thursday)

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March Madness opened Tuesday and Wednesday with the First Four, but now the real Big Dance begins! Thursday officially kicks off Round 1 of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, and BettingPros will have you covered. Before things tip off this afternoon be sure to get your bracket optimized and all of your betting picks placed. To help, here are our top same game parlay picks for Thursday’s Round 1 college basketball action.

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Round 1 Same Game Parlay Picks for Thursday

(4) Virginia vs. (13) Furman

Leg 1 – Virginia Moneyline (-230)

Everyone wants March upsets so badly that they focus on the negative rather than the positive. The Cavaliers looked terrible against the Blue Devils in the ACC title game, but they looked amazing the day before against a desperate Clemson Tigers team. 

The Wahoos are incredible defensively, allowing the fifth-least points per game. The Paladins are going to struggle against Virginia’s style, which is going to allow the Cavaliers to advance. Take this as the safest leg of your parlay.

Leg 2 – Furman Under 63.5 Points (-120)

The Paladins average 80.4 points per game. They finished just outside the top 10 in scoring in the NCAA this season. It seems like this is a ridiculously low number for them, and they should clear it easily. But again, this all comes back to Virginia’s defense.

Just how good are the Wahoos? They have held five consecutive opponents to 60 or fewer points this season. They even held the Blue Devils to 59 in the ACC title game. That was just one day after Duke put up 85 on Miami. If the Paladins are going to win, they’re going to have to do it on Virginia’s terms. You could probably take this at 60.5, but to play it safe, we will go with 63.5.

Leg 3 – Kihei Clark 20+ Points + Assists (+185)

Nobody needs a good game more than Kihei Clark. Against the Blue Devils, he was a dreadful 1-9 from the field, and he finished the game with just six points. Unfortunately for Clark, this type of performance has been the norm of late. He has failed to reach 10 points in six of his last seven games. So why are we taking the Over?

Because for as good as the Furman offense is, their defense is almost equally as bad. They are 201st in the nation in points allowed per game, and they allow their opponents to shoot 44.8% from the field. Though they only allow 11.2 assists per game, Clark is going to have plenty of assist opportunities, and he will definitely be looking to shoot to get his confidence back ahead of the Cavaliers’ second-round game.

Parlay: +425 on FanDuel

(8) Arkansas vs. (9) Illinois

Leg 1 – Illinois Moneyline (+112)

The Arkansas Razorbacks and Illinois Fighting Illini have looked underwhelming throughout the year. Both of these teams had high expectations and didn’t deliver.

But it’s a new season now. I like Illinois to at least deliver in its first game in the Tournament.

The Fighting Illini shoot 55.3% from inside the arc but only 30.9% from deep. Meanwhile, Arkansas is shooting 31.7% from deep and 53.7% from inside. It’s an even matchup.

But the difference will be free throws. Arkansas fouls at a much higher rate, which should put Illinois at the foul line more often and help the Fighting Illini escape their first game of the NCAA Tournament.

Leg 2 – Terrence Shannon Jr. Over 17.5 Points (+102)

Shannon averages 17.1 points per game, but he’s had multiple games with 20 points throughout the season.

He is a senior guard with a ton of offensive in him. He’s also had games where he’s attempted ten or more foul shots per game. I’m expecting him to earn plenty of foul shot attempts, but I also think he’ll attempt around 12 shots in this game.

Shannon has a 112.2 offensive rating and a usage nearing 27%. He will be a big reason why Illinois advances to the next round.

Leg 3 – Nick Smith Jr. Under 16.5 Points (-130)

Nick Smith was projected to be one of the best college basketball freshmen this year. He wasn’t able to play earlier in the season, and it seems like he hasn’t adjusted to this level of basketball since returning.

Smith has added just 14 points per game and even has some games with fewer than 10 points. He’s done better as of late. But ultimately, Smith has shot under 40% from the field. He’s attempting ridiculous shots and hurting Arkansas’ chances at winning games.

Don’t be surprised if his shot volume starts to decline when the misses start to pile up. Smith might want another year in college before he tries going into the NBA Draft. He’s a true project.

Parlay: +444 on FanDuel

(5) Duke vs. (12) Oral Roberts

Leg 1 – Duke -6.5

I love everything that Oral Roberts stands for, but they don’t stand a chance against Duke. The Golden Eagles got a terrible draw.

Duke has held opponents to 30.4% from long range and 46.7% from inside the arc this season. If Oral Roberts starts to miss shots, second chances will be hard to come by. Duke has also held teams to 25.9% offensive rebounds and has done an excellent job limiting fouls. Meanwhile, Oral Roberts has only added 24.5% of offensive rebounds and rarely gets to the foul line.

On the other hand, the Blue Devils usually dominate the offensive glass and have more athleticism than Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles have also struggled to defend the three, allowing teams to shoot 34.2% from downtown this season.

Duke will get past Oral Roberts.

Leg 2 – Kyle Filipowski Over 16.5 Points

Filipowski won the ACC Freshman of the Year. He scored 15.4 points per game and added nine rebounds, shooting almost 45% from the field.

Filipowski can dominate down low, but he’s also got range. He shot nearly 30% from downtown, which isn’t great. But again, he’s got the range and can turn into a microwave from downtown when he’s hot.

In the ACC Tournament, Filipowski added at least 17 points in each of the three games to help Duke win the Tournament. Duke only scored 59 points against Virginia in the Championship, but he had 20 of them. Duke’s relying on their top-tier freshman.

Leg 3 – Max Abmas Over 21.5 Points

Abmas has averaged nearly 23 points per game since his Sophomore season. He’s already stamped his name in the March Madness history books. But he’s looking for even more this season.

I’m not going to doubt this man. He scored 23 and 26 in the semis and finals of the Summit League Championship. Against Duke, there’s a good chance he’ll get even more shots and volume off. If Oral Roberts wants a chance, it must be Abmas keeping them in the game.

With all the volume, I’d expect Abmas to get 22 points, despite Oral Roberts losing handily.

Parlay: +523 on FanDuel

(1) Kansas vs. (16) Howard

Leg 1: Kansas -22.5 (-105)

The Bison simply cannot play with the Jayhawks. This spread might seem too large to many, but the truth is the Jayhawks have been solid in the first round of recent tournaments. In 2018, the Jayhawks got a scare from the 16th-seeded Penn Quakers in the first round. Since then, they have obliterated their opponents. 

Last season, they defeated the Texas Southern Tigers 83-56 in the first round, and that Tigers team may have been better than this Bison group. In their only other game against a Power 5 team this year, the Bison lost by 32 to the Kentucky Wildcats.

Leg 2: Jalen Wilson 10+ Rebounds (+180)

It is highly unlikely that Wilson plays anywhere near his season average of 35.4 minutes in this game. However, he won’t need nearly that amount of time to get 10 boards in this one. The Bison are allowing 33.9 rebounds per game, which is 148th in the nation. The Jayhawks are averaging 35.9 rebounds per game, but they will easily clear their season average in this one. 

The Bison actually shoot the ball pretty well at 45.3% on the season, but there will be enough misses for the Jayhawks’ primary rebounder to pull down at least 10 boards. It’s interesting that the price for this is what it is. Perhaps oddsmakers are really convinced that Wilson won’t remain on the court very long. No matter how long he plays, this is a nice addition to your parlay.

Leg 3: Kansas Over 87.5 Points (+150)

Perhaps this is a bit ambitious, but the Jayhawks could really pour it on in this game if they want to. The Bison are 240th in the country, allowing 72.6 points per game. The Jayhawks enter this game averaging 74.9 points per game on the year. Them going 13 points over their season average is not a big ask against this team.

So why not go higher? Well, there has to be a limit. The Jayhawks scored more than 87 points just once against a non-Power 5 team this season. However, they have been right around that number multiple times, and they went into the 90s against the Seton Hall Pirates and Missouri Tigers in non-conference. The Jayhawks will take their foot off the gas in the second half, but with little resistance, they could go into the 50s in the first.

Parlay: +1266 on FanDuel

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