MLB Best Bets – Free (Wednesday 7/24)
Josh Gross
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: Oregon St/Houston (UNDER 135.5), Arkansas (+10.5) (Tipico Sportsbook)
Odds: +138
Leg 1: Oregon St. vs. Houston (UNDER 135.5)
A favorite of sophomoric jokesters and underdog fans alike, Oregon St. has shockingly reached the Elite Eight for the first time since A.C. Green strutted down Corvallis’ streets. Considering publications almost unanimously picked the Beavers to finish dead last in the Pac-12 before the season began, them being one step away from college basketball’s marquee event, the Final Four, is nothing shy of extraordinary. In a game sure to resemble a rock fight, bringing your biggest and heaviest boulder is required. Both teams are calculated and patient in their execution. Both teams rank north of No. 300 in average possession length and adjusted tempo. Both teams rack the second chances. Both teams frequently deny shots. Houston has allowed 0.921 points per possession this month; Oregon St. 0.944. With unders all the rage in the Sweet Sixteen, one has to wonder if overs will make a triumphant comeback. However, in a battle likely to be a war of attrition, first to 65 presumably wins.
Leg 2: Arkansas (+10.5) vs. Baylor
Razorbacks head honcho Eric Musselman, often shirtless, highly enthusiastic and a brilliant player development coach, has breathed renewed life into an Arkansas program that's been wading in mediocrity the last couple decades. Their execution is often abstract, a Jackson Pollock which leaves onlookers puzzled how they emerged victorious, but it’s effective. Active around the basket, the Razorbacks relentlessly attack downhill, enticing contact while making opponents pay at the line. Energetic in their defensive assignment, they also challenge and contest shots. This month, they’ve yielded just 0.908 points per possession, forced a turnover on 20.8% of opponent possessions and allowed only 43.7% from two. Baylor’s bevy of marksmen gives the Bears an advantage, but Arkansas’ length, particularly Justin Smith, should be able to inflict damage, provided it doesn’t dig its customary first-half hole too deep.
Season record: 36-40
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