We’re ready for Round 2 of March Madness, so it’s time to find the best parlay picks. With 32 of teams still in play starting Saturday morning, we have plenty of options to choose from, making it a good spot for parlays.
In this article, we’ll provide you with a best bet, longshot, and Same Game Parlay. There will be a variety of bet types in each parlay, including moneylines, point spreads, Over/Unders, and player props.
So without further ado, let’s get right into my favorite ticket builds of March Madness parlays for Round 2 this weekend.
Best March Madness Round 2 Parlay
(Editor’s Note: All March Madness odds referenced here are current as of 11 a.m. ET on Friday, March 17, and are found at DraftKings Sportsbook.)
NCAA Tournament Round 2 Top Parlay (+100) • DraftKings Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
- Houston Moneyline (-250) vs Auburn
- Texas Moneyline (-230) vs Penn State
No. 1 Houston is considered as the top team in the tournament, coming in first overall on Pomeroy’s Rankings. While No. 9 Auburn has some notable wins on their resume, namely against Tennessee, it’s hard to see them knocking off the Cougars.
It was huge for Houston to have top scorer Marcus Sasser in the lineup against Northern Kentucky after being questionable with a groin injury. They’ll need him to help beat the Tigers.
As we can see on Pomeroy’s rankings, Houston (ranked 12th on offense, fourth on defense) has the edge on Auburn (46th offense, 28th defense). It’s tough to see the tourney favorites eliminated in the second round, so we’ll roll with the Cougars here.
No. 2 Texas cruised to a 20-point victory over No. 15 Colgate in the first round. The Longhorns are rolling on a five-game winning streak highlighted by two wins against No. 1 Kansas.
No. 10 Penn State easily disposed of No. 7 Texas A&M with a 17-point win, but Texas is a much tougher test. The Longhorns are the fifth-ranked team in the country per KenPom, while Penn State comes in at 33rd.
Texas is a balanced team, ranking 17th on offense and 11th on defense. On the other hand, Penn State is vulnerable on defense, coming in at 95th. Look for the Longhorns to capitalize on this edge and get the win here.
I’m confident in this CBB bet of the day.
📈 Find more NCAA Tournament futures with our odds comparison tool:
Longshot March Madness Round 2 Parlay
NCAA Tournament Round 2 Longshot Parlay (+264) • DraftKings Sportsbook
WAGER: 0.5 Units
- Missouri vs Princeton: Over 149.5 Total Points (-110)
- San Diego State vs Furman: Under 138 Total Points (-110)
No. 7 Missouri takes on No. 15 Princeton in a game that looks like a track meet. Expect a lot of points in this one because Missouri (the ninth-ranked offense, per KenPom) and Princeton (75.4 points per game) each can be effective scoring the ball.
It also helps that Missouri ranks 163rd in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency, so we could see Princeton find it easier to put up points. Princeton shot 4-of-25 from beyond the arc in their upset win over Arizona, but we can project improved efficiency vs Missouri.
Meanwhile, Missouri’s offense has been firing on all cylinders lately. This team has eclipsed 70 points in four of their last five games. In fact, the Tigers scored more than 80 points in two of those matchups.
No. 5 San Diego State will look to hold off upstart No. 13 Furman, who are coming off a wild upset win against No. 4 Virginia. The Aztecs boast one of the top defenses in the country, ranking ninth per KenPom.
While Furman is better on offense than defense, ranking 32nd compared to 178th, this is a game that is projected to be controlled by San Diego State. The Aztecs are currently favored by six points, which means that they can dictate the pace of this matchup.
That bodes well for the Under because San Diego State ranked 288th in pace this season. Look for them to slow down this game, which could cause problems for Furman. We’re getting a relatively high bar at 138 points, so we’ll roll with the Under here.
March Madness Round 2 Same Game Parlay
Tennessee vs Duke SGP (+264) • DraftKings Sportsbook
WAGER: 0.5 Units
- Tennessee +3 (-110)
- Under 128.5 Total Points (-110)
According to Pomeroy’s rankings, Tennessee (seventh) is a better team than Duke (17th), but we’re getting the Volunteers as three-point underdogs, giving us some nice value. Tennessee has the second-best defense in the country, so they should slow down the Blue Devils.
We’ll add the Under to this parlay because Duke also has a strong defense, ranking 15th per KenPom. We just saw the Blue Devils defense shut down Oral Roberts, limiting them to 51 points as they shot 30% from the field.
While Duke is scorching hot right now having won 10 games in a row, we’ll ride with the underdog Vols in a game where points could be tough to come by. Look for a closely-contested matchup that comes down to the wire.
(Read our full Duke vs Tennessee predictions report.)
