Northwestern vs. Maryland Pick
Can Northwestern pull off another upset when it meets up with No. 25 Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal tonight at 8:55 PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Maryland is a slim favorite today, as the Terrapins are getting odds of -1.5 points against Northwestern. The over/under total is listed at 134.5 point. Maryland won the lone meeting this season, 74-64 at Northwestern on Feb. 15. These two meet today from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
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Northwestern picked up an 83-61 win over Rutgers last night in its Big Ten Tournament opener. The Wildcats are now 22-10 on the season and almost certainly in the NCAA Tournament. They have covered the spread in three of their last four games to get to 18-11 ATS on the season. They are also 10-4 ATS away from home. Northwestern is averaging 71.8 points per game on offense this season while allowing 64.8 on defense. Bryant McIntosh is leading the team with 14.5 points and 5.3 assists per game while Scottie Lindsey is adding 14 points per contest.
Maryland is coming off a 63-60, buzzer-beating, win over Michigan State to end the regular season. The Terps went 24-7 this season and 12-6 in the Big Ten. They are just 1-4 against the spread in their last five games and sit at 15-11-3 ATS on the season. However, they are 10-2-1 ATS away from home. Maryland is averaging 73.9 points per game on offense this season while allowing 68.4 on defense. Melo Trimble is averaging 16.9 points per game to lead the team while Justin Jackson adds 10.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
Both teams have played well away from home when it comes to covering the spread. After going through a rough stretch, Maryland seems to be back on track a little bit with a win over Michigan State at home last week. Northwestern has been surging a little, but they still are shaky on the road when it comes to winning games. The spread is very thin and I just can’t trust the Cats to win this one outright.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: MARYLAND -1.5