The Geek’s Daily March Madness Parlays: Best NCAA Parlay Today

Parlay Leg 1: #11 Drake (+7) vs. #3 Texas Tech

The #11 Drake Bulldogs have the makings of a March Madness Cinderella. Their top-ranked defense held the Missouri Tigers to just 57 points in their Round One upset. Now, the Bulldogs defense faces another tough test in their round two matchup against #3 Texas Tech.

Moving on 👉@Doctork24_ with the honors! pic.twitter.com/DgPEUVJewJ

— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) March 21, 2025

Texas Tech handled UNC Wilmington on Thursday. The Red Raiders won both halves and cruised to an 82-72 win.

Missouri was one of the best offenses in college basketball, averaging 83.6 PPG this year. Texas Tech is top 30 at 80.9 PPG, but they have four players averaging double-digits to Mizzou’s three.

Drake is a 7-point underdog, but the Bulldogs’ defense will keep them in this game. The key will be containing JT Toppin, who leads Texas Tech with 17.9 PPG and 9.2 RPG. If Drake’s defense can slow down Toppin, the Bulldogs will cover the 7-point spread.

Leg 2: #9 Creighton (+9.5) vs. #1 Auburn

Another upset in Round One was #9 Creighton’s dominant 89-75 win over #8 Louisville. The Bluejays now have a date with the top seed in the South Region, #1 Auburn. Of all the number one seeds, Auburn and Houston are the two I am least confident in.

The Tigers dominated Alabama State 83-63 in round one, but their next two games will be the real tests for this team. Creighton is a tough out, and then Auburn would have the winner of #5 Michigan vs. #4 Texas A&M.

Auburn has had a top-10 offense this year, scoring 83.8 PPG. However, Creighton’s defense has held opposing teams to just 69.7 PPG this year. The Tigers’ defense has been slightly better, keeping opponents to an average of 69.4 PPG.

Creighton’s only chance at another upset is to keep this game low-scoring. I think the Bluejays will come ready to fight and will stay close to the favorites, even if they ultimately lose.

Leg 3: #8 Gonzaga (+5.0) vs. #1 Houston14 Troy (+11.0) vs. #3 Kentucky

The final leg of my March Madness Round Two parlay for Saturday is for #5 Gonzaga to cover the 5-point spread against #1 Houston. As I mentioned above, Houston is one of the number one seeds that I am least confident in.

Highlights from our 1️⃣6️⃣th straight opening round win 🎞️ pic.twitter.com/c9loc2V9b0

— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) March 21, 2025

Houston has one of the best defenses in Men’s college basketball that was on display in their 78-40 blowout win over SIUE in Round One. Unfortunately for the Cougars, their offense averaged fewer than 75 PPG this year.

Conversely, Gonzaga averaged 86.7 PPG, second only to Alabama in college basketball. The Bulldogs also held opponents under 70 PPG this year. Gonzaga took down Georgia 89-68 in the opening round.

Both teams have stout defenses, but Gonzaga’s offense will be the deciding factor in this game. The Bulldogs will not go down without a fight, so I expect them to stay within 5 points or even win this one.