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

Parlay Leg 1: #9 Georgia (+7) vs. #8 Gonzaga

The Midwest Region’s 8-9 matchup between #9 Georgia and #8 Gonzaga should be one of the best games of Round One and made it to our best NCAA parlay today. Bovada has Gonzaga as a 7-point favorite in this battle of the bulldogs at top March Madness betting sites.

Taking it all in #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/p55z3j2Bvf

— Georgia Basketball (@UGABasketball) March 19, 2025

Georgia won four straight games to end the regular season, but they fell flat in the opening round of the SEC Tournament. Conversely, Gonzaga won the Big East for the fifth time in the last six years.

Gonzaga’s offense was better in the regular season, averaging 86.6 PPG, the second-most in Men’s basketball, while Georgia put up 75.6 PPG. However, both teams held opponents to an average of less than 70 PPG.

This should be a tight battle, so the spread is too high and Georgia should be able to stay within 7 points.

Leg 2: #11 Drake vs. #6 Missouri (-6)

Another team I expect to cover the spread in the opening round is #6 Missouri. The best college basketball betting sites have the Tigers favored by 6 points against #11 Drake.

Missouri was a top-10 offense this season, averaging 84.5 PPG. The Tigers’ defense allowed 73.8 PPG, but on the bright side, they were tied for 10th in steals, with 9.4 steals per game.

Drake, on the other hand, was the best defense in college basketball, allowing just 58.4 PPG. Their offense was lackluster, though, scoring only 70.1 PPG. Most of Drake’s offensive production was thanks to Junior guard Bennett Stirtz, who averaged 19.1 PPG this year.

The Tigers had three players who averaged 13.4 PPG or more this season, and Mizzou’s deep rotation of guards will be too much for Drake. I expect Missouri to win and cover the 6-point spread here rather comfortably.

Leg 3: #12 UC San Diego vs. #5 Michigan (-2.5)

The third and final leg of my March Madness parlay today is for #5 Michigan to cover their 2.5-point spread against #12 UC San Diego. UC San Diego went 30-4 this season en route to winning the Big West.

Bringing the 🏆 back to Ann Arbor!#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/2vv6tpNxV0

— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) March 16, 2025

Michigan also won its conference, taking down three other March Madness teams to win the Big 10. Despite beating #3 Wisconsin, #4 Purdue, and #4 Maryland, the Wolverines are a lower seed than all their Big Ten playoff opponents.

The Wolverines have plenty of motivation thanks to their low seed, making them a perfect addition to the best March Madness parlay for March 20th.

UC San Diego will still be tough out for Michigan. The Tritons had a better offense, 79.4 to 78.3 PPG, and defense, 61.6 to 71.2 PPG, than the Wolverines. However, the step up in competition from the Big West to a Big Ten opponent will be too much for the Tritons.

They should be competitive early on, but I expect to see Michigan pull away late in the second half.