It's time to cook up a three-leg NCAA Tournament parlay for Thursday as we kick off the Sweet 16.
In addition to parlaying these picks, I'm playing all three straight.
With that said, let's dive into my NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 parlay and college basketball picks for the games on Thursday, March 27.
NCAA Tournament Parlay for Thursday, March 27
- Alabama -5.5 vs. BYU
- Florida -6.5 vs. Maryland
- Arkansas +5.5 vs. Texas Tech
Parlay Odds: +581 (Fanatics)
Remember that some parlays are long shots for a reason, so please bet responsibly.
Alabama -5.5
vs. BYU · 7:09 p.m. ET · CBS
The BYU Cougars and Alabama Crimson Tide will clash for a heavyweight battle in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night.
BYU will be making its sixth-ever Sweet 16 appearance. The last time the Cougars were dancing in the Sweep 16 was in 2011.
First-year Cougars head coach Kevin Young has done as good a job as any coach in college basketball this season. Young and the Cougars entered the season expected to finish toward the middle of the Big 12 and now find themselves playing in the second weekend.
BYU opened the tournament with a blowout win over VCU and followed that with a thrilling victory over Wisconsin.
Richie Saunders leads the team with 16.3 points per game.
On the other side, Alabama rolls into the contest coming off wins over Robert Morris and Saint Mary's. The Tide will be dancing in the Sweet 16 for the ninth time in program history.
Head coach Nate Oats has led the Tide to three straight Sweet 16 appearances, as well as the Final Four for the first time in program history last season.
Senior Mark Sears leads the Tide with 18.6 points per game and 5.0 assists.
We will continue to ride with the Tide in the Sweet 16.
BYU won the first two rounds by dominating the pace. However, Alabama wants to play at a fast pace similar to BYU.
That fast-paced style of play favors the Crimson Tide, who rank second in points per game.
Florida -6.5
vs. Maryland · 7:39 p.m. ET · TBS
The Maryland Terrapins and Florida Gators will meet from the Chase Center on Thursday night.
No team in the Sweet 16 feels luckier to be here than the Terps.
Maryland trailed for most of its matchup against Colorado State in the Round of 32. The Terps took a two-point lead into the final 10 seconds when Colorado State hit a 3 to give the Rams a one-point lead.
Then, Baltimore native Derik Queen delivered the biggest shot of his young career when he banked in a game-winning layup as time expired.
Queen leads the Terps with 16.2 points per game and 9.1 rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Gators survived a scare of their own in the Round of 32. For most of the second half, Florida trailed the back-to-back national champion UConn Huskies.
The Gators' late surge earned them a 77-75 win over the Huskies.
Walter Clayton Jr. leads the team with 17.9 points per game and 4.2 assists.
We'll ride with the Gators after a sluggish performance in the second round.
The Gators' offensive firepower will be too much for the Terps to handle. Florida has multiple bigs it can roll out to stay fresh and slow down Queen and Julian Reese.
Plus, the Gators have been outstanding this season with a 23-6 record against the spread as the favorite.
Arkansas +5.5
vs. Texas Tech · 10:09 p.m. ET · TBS
The Arkansas Razorbacks and Texas Tech Red Raiders will battle for a trip to the Elite Eight to close out Thursday's slate.
