From left: Freddie Freeman, DeMar DeRozan, Artemi Panarin. USA TODAY photos.

Let's have some fun with this three-way cross-sport parlay

The Final Four is set, which we touch on below the fold. With the action not taking center stage until Saturday, we've got plenty of time to look over the matchups and lines. To get our fresh week started, we were thinking a tri-sport prop parlay between MLB, NBA and NHL could be just the ticket today.

Touch 'em all with this three-leg cross-sport bankroll builder

MLB: Freddie Freeman to get 1+ hit

Freddie Freeman and the Dodgers will be hosting San Francisco tonight. On the rubber for the Giants is Keaton Winn, a pitcher that Freeman has sure loved to see, albeit with a small sample size.

In just three plate appearances against Winn, Freeman is a perfect 3-3, with a single, double and homer. That's history we're going to have to back here from the Dodgers' No. 3 hitter, especially when we see he has logged five hits in his past four games.

NBA: DeMar DeRozan to score 20+ points

We may be going a bit too conservative watering DeRozan down to 20+, you could definitely consider his 25+, but we'll opt for safety in the name of winning some bets.

Chicago's DeRozan has averaged 23.5 points per game this season and has gone for 27+ in five straight games. Now, the Bulls face a Hawks defense that allows the third-most points per game to SFs, a team DeRozan has enjoyed facing. Over the past two seasons, DeRozan has hit 20+ in all six games against Atlanta, averaging 27.2 points per game. Move him up to 25+ if you want some better odds.

NHL: Artemi Panarin to record 1+ point

We stay on the conservative end with New York Ranger Artemi Panarin to get involved in a goal tonight against a Penguins team allowing nearly four goals per game on the road over the past month and a half.

Panarin has piled up 13 points in his past five games, and just had five points against Pittsburgh two weeks ago. The Rangers winger has a point in 82% of home games this season and seven of the last eight times that the Penguins have come to town.

Altogether, this play comes in at +103 on FanDuel. Feel free to get a bit more aggressive with Freeman over 1.5 total bases, DeRozan over 26.5 points and Panarin over 1.5 points, we went with the floors that looked best, but we sure hope this is a no-sweat winner!


In the news ...

LSU-Iowa highlights one of the biggest NCAAW tournament games in recent memory — We're pretty fired up for this Elite Eight matchup tonight in the women's bracket, as this LSU-Iowa rematch game is one of the most highly anticipated games NCAAW has had in quite some time. The two met in the title game last year, with LSU winning 102-87, with Angel Reese infamously taunting Caitlin Clark with her ring finger celebration. We can't help but like the revenge narrative tonight, so yeah we're jumping on Iowa moneyline at -130.

Final Four is set for men's tournament — The Final Four is set, with No. 1 UConn vs. No. 4 Alabama and No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 11 NC State. This NC State run is truly remarkable, and DJ Burns against Zach Edey is going to be some awesome TV. The Huskies are the clear betting favorites to win it all at -185, followed by Purdue at +195. The action gets going this Saturday, with the championship set for next Monday. UConn has covered the spread in every tournament game from the past two seasons, winning each game by 13+ points. Don't let the 11.5-point spread scare you against Bama, it's hard to not back the Huskies in this spot. We're all in on the Burns and NC State train now; we've already locked in the Wolfpack at +9.5.

Police searching for Rashee Rice in connection with weekend hit and run accident — Over the weekend, reports and videos suggest that Chiefs WR Rashee Rice was possibly involved in a street racing accident in Dallas, with Rice then leaving the scene (and the cars) behind. Rice has retained counsel as of Monday morning, as police are searching for him in the Dallas area. We don't have more info at this time, but this seems sure to lead to punishment for the wide receiver who helped the Chiefs win the Super Bowl in his first season. Wide receiver is +100 to be Kansas City's first drafted position in this month's draft.


Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll. Follow him on Substack: griffybets.substack.com.

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