There are times in sports where you do all of your research, everything looks like it’s going to go according to plan and then something goes wrong and it all collapses. That’s the best way to sum up the United States’ 3-0 win over Honduras, which blew up our predictions for a low-scoring match in frigid St. Paul. Unfortunately for our betting slips, Gregg Berhalter decided that getting Christian Pulisic a goal against lowly Honduras had some meaning, so what should have been a cash turned out to be a loss.
Luckily, hockey continued to work in my favor and Longwood and Missouri both came through for me. I’m not sure why I’m so resistant to betting hockey; I really shouldn’t be, given my recent track record on the ice. It’s Thursday, and that means Parlay Day…but there are only two games on the slate in the NHL and neither are on the board yet, so can’t play those. That means it’s all basketball; here are my best plays for February 3.
EASTERN PARLAY: EASTERN KENTUCKY -4, WRIGHT STATE -4, WINTHROP TTO 77.5, +595
This is not the time for Kennesaw State to play Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels have been much better at home and are coming off a 95-point showing at Stetson (which they lost by 18), so they should be ready to take advantage of the Owls’ weak 3-point defense. Wright State has won 11 of 12 against Detroit and has covered this number in 10 of those 11 wins, as well as all five in Dayton. Finally, Winthrop should have no problems shooting against the North Carolina A&T defense and should get to around 80 points.
MIDWEST PARLAY: YOUNGSTOWN STATE -12.5, ILLINOIS-CHICAGO ML, KANSAS CITY -6, +410
I’m fading IUPUI every chance I get; the Jaguars really are that bad. Youngstown State should come in and make a statement in a game where nobody’s going to show up because nobody’s going anywhere in this Indianapolis snowstorm. I’m a bit worried about UIC covering the spread, so I won’t get greedy with the Flames. They should have enough to handle Robert Morris, who is just 1-10 on the road. Finally, St. Thomas is hitting the wall in its first year in Division I and has a tough assignment at Kansas City. I don’t see the Tommies hanging in this one.
BIG SKY PARLAY: MONTANA TTO 68.5, SACRAMENTO STATE TTU 68.5, PORTLAND STATE +10.5, +500
The Grizzlies tend to score when they play Weber State. Montana has hit 70 points in its past 12 matchups with the Wildcats, so win or lose, this matchup should feature plenty of points. Sacramento State, on the other hand, isn’t going to win a scoring contest. For the Hornets to beat Northern Arizona, they’ll have to slow this down, so I don’t think they get to that number. Finally, Portland State just beat Northern Colorado at home, so while the Bears will likely want to even the score, I think the Vikings can hang. I’ll buy a couple points to be safe, but I like my chances with how much Portland State has improved lately.
