Sweet 16 Parlay Picks: Can BYU, Kentucky, Others Advance to Elite Eight?

March Madness means it's a great time to construct a Sweet 16 Same Game Parlay (SGP) ahead of Thursday and Friday's eight game schedule. The moneyline favorite parlay method was very lucrative in the first two rounds, but oddsmakers and sportsbooks are hyper-aware of this strategy.

There are no longer any mid-major programs in contention. Duke is the lone representative out of the ACC, while the other 15 schools are from the Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC. It's time for high-stakes basketball with a lot of top-tier rosters going head-to-head for a chance to advance to the Elite Eight.

NCAAB handicapper Matt MacKay has built a Sweet 16 SGP to tail across Thursday and Friday's games using the latest odds. Follow Matt's X account for more NCAAB betting insight and free picks during March Madness.

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Sweet 16 Parlay Picks

Leg 1: BYU Moneyline (+180)

It's impossible to fade BYU in a matchup against Alabama's porous defense. The Cougars are marginally better than the Crimson Tide at rebounding the basketball, ranked 19th versus 27th on the glass.

Both offenses are red-hot but BYU has more depth and physicality. Alabama did have to compete in a loaded SEC but the Big 12 is no pushover, with a few teams in the Sweet 16 that the Cougars played well, like Arizona and Texas Tech.

Guards Richie Saunders and Egor Demin balled out against Wisconsin in the Round of 32 and handled their best defensive opponent, VCU, winning 80-71. Alabama is led by G Mark Sears but they've been shaky in big games all season and haven't faced an elite scoring team thus far in the NCAA Tournament.

BYU moneyline is a very realistic upset that we're going to insert as the first leg of our Sweet 16 SGP.

Leg 2: Kentucky Moneyline (+172)

Next up, we're heading to Friday's slate for the third head-to-head matchup between Tennessee and Kentucky. The Wildcats beat the Volunteers both times they played this season, winning 78-73 on the road and 75-64 on their home court.

These teams are wired completely different in terms of style and philosophy. Kentucky is among the best offenses in the country with a 116.7 offensive rating (19th) but 217th defensive rating (106.0) this season. Tennessee is 17th for defensive rating (96.4) and 41st in offensive rating at 114.4.

The Volunteers are much more balanced and Kentucky's defensive liabilities have cost them during the season in certain games. However, great offense has wound up beating great defense in both matchups played this season.

This won't change on Friday night in the Sweet 16. G Otega Oweh and F Amari Williams are the leading scorer and rebounder for the Wildcats. They'll apply pressure to Tennessee, who hasn't scored more than 77 points against either 15-seed Wofford or 7-seed UCLA.

Kentucky moneyline is the second straight underdog we're taking to boost our Sweet 16 SGP on Friday's four-game slate.

Leg 3: Houston Moneyline (-370)

I'm riding the chalk and backing Houston with confidence to win outright against 4-seed Purdue on Friday. The Boilermakers have a good offense but their defense has been lackluster this season.

Houston's top-ranked defense will challenge F Trey Kaufman-Renn and G Braden Smith all night long, forcing turnovers and creating scoring opportunities in transition. While the Cougars aren't an elite offensive team, they get a lot of their points from their back court tandem of LJ Cryer, Emanuel Sharp, and Milos Uzan.

Cryer is a three-point assassin and Uzan is a phenomenal distributor, averaging 4.4 assists per game. Sharp is second on Houston's roster in points per game (12.5) and F J'Wan Roberts is a menace on both ends of the court, averaging 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds.

Houston is 28th in total rebound percentage and Purdue is outside the top 100 in this metric. The Boilermakers will need to be extremely accurate with their shot selection to avoid stalling out, which is a difficult task against Houston's defensive prowess, ranked second in defensive rating at 91.2 this season.

Let's close out this +842 Sweet 16 SGP with Houston as our chalk moneyline play in a favorable matchup against Purdue's vulnerable defense.

Sweet 16 Parlay Picks (+842) (Bet $100 to Collect $942)

• Leg 1: BYU Moneyline
• Leg 2: Kentucky Moneyline
• Leg 3: Houston Moneyline

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