College Hoops Parlay – Georgetown-Syracuse and Kansas-Missouri

Want a can’t miss parlay in Monday night’s odds? Look no further than the two nationally televised games, where No. 5 Syracuse hosts No. 14 Georgetown and No. 3 ranked Kansas is in action against one of their biggest rivals, the Missouri Tigers.

Let’s look at the first game. There’s no doubt that Syracuse is an elite team, as the Orange started out the year 19-1 and are also an impressive 11-4 against the spread. They’ve covered in four of their last five games, and enter Monday night’s contest as a six point favorite at home in the college basketball betting odds. But can Georgetown give them a tough matchup? I think they can.

The Hoyas (15-3, 8-6) are playing excellent basketball themselves, having won four of their last five games straight up. And with their complicated “Princeton style” offense, I expect them to give Syracuse all they can handle offensively. Center Greg Monroe has come on strong the last few games, even scoring 21 points and notching six assists Saturday in a win over Rutgers. With his passing in the middle of the zone, expect shooters like Austin Freeman (averaging a team high 15.6 points per game) and point guard Chris Wright (20+ points in two of their last four games) to get open looks.

Also, will Syracuse be able to score if Georgetown slows down tempo? The Orange currently average 84 points per game, which is sixth in college basketball right now, and rely a lot on easy points in transition. They’ve scored 75 points in all but two Big East games. And one of them was their loss to Pittsburgh.

As much as I like Syracuse going forward, Monday will be a test of a different kind. I expect Georgetown to surprise the college basketball world with an upset on the road, covering the betting odds.

The other game Monday night pits two teams that share a border, and quite frankly can’t stand each other: The Kansas Jayhawks (18-1 SU, 8-7-1 ATS) and the Missouri Tigers (15-4, 8-5 ATS). The winner will be in first place in the Big XII North.

For Kansas, the Jayhawks have been playing much better in recent weeks, since their first loss of the year at Tennessee. They’ve won four in a row, and covered the point spread in two of those games.

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The biggest bright spot for the Jayhawks has been the continued development of their best player, senior guard Sherron Collins. Earlier this year, Collins struggled a little, and deferred too much to freshman wing Xavier Henry. Since the loss though, he’s played his best basketball, averaging 17.5 points in those four wins. Center Cole Aldrich is improved too, notching his first double-double in conference play Saturday against Iowa State.

While the Jayhawks are the fourth highest scoring team in college basketball, they have finally found a team that wants to run with them, the Missouri Tigers. Missouri on the season averages 82 points per game, and has seven players averaging at least seven points per game.

The biggest, and maybe only difference in this one, will be Kansas’ home court advantage. The Jayhawks simply don’t lose at Phog Allen Fieldhouse, they currently have college basketball’s longest home court winning streak.

However, Missouri always plays them tough there. So while the Jayhawks will win straight up, if you’re looking at the point spread, take Missouri +12. Couple them with Georgetown for a second underdog pick of the night, and you can’t miss!

Aaron’s Picks: Georgetown +6 and Missouri +12