Round 2 March Madness Parlay Picks: Cryer Makes It Rain Against Texas A&M

The March Madness bracket powers on this Sunday with eight Round 2 matchups on tap.

It’s the best time of the year for college basketball fans and if it wasn’t fun enough already, there are plenty of ways to spice up your March Madness picks by throwing in some parlays.

There are plenty of offerings for these eight games to sift through when overviewing the day’s March Madness odds. I’ve pieced together two parlays for Sunday.

The first features a trio of hungry underdogs, whereas the second targets a few player props in advantageous matchups. Check out my latest college basketball picks for March 24.

Round 2 March Madness Parlays

• James Madison +7.5, Grand Canyon +6.5, Texas A&M +9.5 (+606 at FanDuel)
• Braden Smith o24.5 PRA, Tyon Grant-Foster o20.5 pts, L.J. Cryer o2.5 threes (+535 at DraftKings)

Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.

Best Round 2 parlay picks

James Madison +7.5

Grand Canyon +6.5

Texas A&M +9.5

+606 at FanDuel

There are many different types of upsets. Some are shocking events that leave most observers perplexed by the outcome. Some are instant classics that go back and forth until the final horn. Some are so thorough that it makes it seem like the underdog never should’ve been catching points in the first place.

The last option was the case when No. 12 seed James Madison upset Wisconsin in Round 1. The Dukes got out to an early double-digit lead and never looked back, dominating the game from start to finish and building some serious momentum heading into Sunday’s showdown with No. 4 seed Duke.

Jon Scheyer’s squad has its hands full on Sunday against a JMU team boasting good guard play, decent size, and stingy defense. JMU put forth a particularly spirited defensive effort against Wisconsin and will be tough to put away when it plays like that.

The second leg of this parlay is another No. 12 seed underdog. This time, it’s Grand Canyon at +6.5 against No. 4 seed Alabama. There’s a lot to like about the Antelopes — they’ve won 30 games, have a star lead guard in Tyon Grant-Foster (19.8 points per game), and lock down defensively. 

That last point is what stands out considering they’re the much better defensive squad in this game, which makes Bryce Drew’s squad an appealing underdog. The Antelopes check in at 41st in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency while surrendering just 66.9 ppg. That’s much better than the Crimson Tide, who rank just 117th in adjusted defensive efficiency and allow 81.5 ppg.

The Antelopes are an impressive squad, while Bama has looked like a paper tiger. Nate Oats’ squad generally has pretty metrics but does not look serious on the defensive end of the court — and that’s a problem I cannot overlook.

Lastly, let’s add No. 9 seed Texas A&M at +10 facing No. 1 Houston. These teams already played once and the Aggies lost by just four points on a neutral court, which is a noteworthy data point.

Buzz Williams’ team didn’t even play well in that game, shooting just 38.2% from the floor but managing to hang tight. These programs have some similarities and I don’t hate the matchup — the Aggies have tough guards, crash the boards, and play just about as hard as any team in the country.

Braden Smith Over 24.5 points, rebounds, and assists

Tyon-Grant Foster Over 20.5 points

L.J. Cryer Over 2.5 threes

+535 at DraftKings

Braden Smith's transformation from his first to second years at Purdue has been a pleasure to watch this season. He’s ready for the big stage after averaging 12.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 7.4 assists during the regular season.

Smith & Co. are set to face No. 9 seed Utah State, who check in at 66th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency while ranking 107th in adjusted tempo. There should be a fair amount of possessions in this game, giving Smith every opportunity to hit the Over.

He looked great in Round 1, dropping 11 points, five rebounds, and 10 assists in an easy win. That’s now three times in the last four games that he’s reached double-digit assists, so his game seems ready for the postseason.

Next, we’ll target Grand Canyon star Tyon Grant-Foster to Over his points prop of 20.5. The sixth-year guard has been on fire, topping this number in five of his last six games, and this is a beautiful matchup.

Not only does Alabama find playing defense optional, but it also plays at a quick pace, ranking seventh in adjusted tempo. All of those possessions mean that Grant-Foster will have the ball in his hands plenty with a lot of opportunities to score.

We'll wrap up this parlay by backing Houston guard L.J. Cryer to can at least three 3-pointers against Texas A&M. The Aggies love to give up shots from behind the arc, ranking 334th in threes allowed per game (8.8). The Aggies also rank 349th in Haslametrics’ 3-point attempt rate defensively, and Cryer is Houston’s best shooter, shooting 39.1% from downtown.

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