Big Noise Tipico CBB parlay of the day (Jan. 10)

Multiple times each week, FTN Bets’ resident college basketball junkie, Brad Evans, will attempt to posterize the ‘books with his favorite selections, whether sides, totals, teasers or parlays. As always, fade or follow Brad’s picks — fading is encouraged — that’s up to you.

2-leg alternative line parlay play: Minnesota/Iowa OVER 158.5, Illinois -5.5 (Tipico Sportsbook)

Odds: +122

Leg 1: Minnesota/Iowa OVER 158.5

Hopefully your lifetime pasta pass at the Olive Garden wasn’t recently revoked. You’re going to need the carb overload. The amount of energy needed to simply watch the track meet between the Gophers and Hawkeyes will be extraordinary. Both schools rank inside the top-60 nationally in shortest average possession length. Both are inside the top-25 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency. And both convert early and often at the charity stripe, tallying 72% or higher. Iowa is more than just tour de force Matt Garza. Joe Weiskamp is a do-it-all Swiss Army knife, Jordan Bohanan sports limitless range (38.1 3PT%) and CJ Frederick is capable of occasional scoring outbursts. Not to be outdone, Minny’s Marcus Carr has a pair of 30-point eruptions this season, including one against the Hawkeyes on Christmas Day. In that first engagement, Minnesota and Iowa combined for 197 points in a seven-point Hawkeyes OT victory. Expect dueling 80-point efforts in the rematch. Keep in mind, Iowa has cashed the over in 9 of 12 contests.

Leg 2: Maryland at Illinois (-5.5)

53-13. The last time Illinois trotted out on the floor, at Northwestern, it completed an unimaginable comeback. Shoddy defense and forced shots buried it underneath a 15-point halftime deficit. Then the Illini unleashed the flamethrower, torching the Wildcats as though they were bone-dry tinder. This is the two-faced nature of Brad Underwood’s team. One minute they slumber; the next they resemble a supernova. For a team with ambitious goals, their second-half explosion marked a tipping point, one which should carry over into Sunday’s showdown with Maryland. The Terps’ athletic front, spearheaded by Donta Scott and Janus Hamilton, should hang tough on the glass, but their unraveled defense (1.112 pts/poss, 38.8 3PT% allowed in B1G) and slumping offense (0.982 pts/poss) are significant downsides. Ayo Dosunmu is one of college basketball’s premier transition hoopsters. He, glass Goliath Kofi Cockburn and arc assassin Trent Frazier comprise quite the trio. If complementary pieces Adam Miller, Andres Curbelo and NCAA three-point percentage leader Da’Monte Williams (65.6%) continue to fire, Maryland has little chance of keeping it under 10. Similar to the Iowa game, an 89-67 loss, Mark Turgeon simply doesn’t have enough thoroughbreds to ride with the uptempo Illini.

Season record: 4-8

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