Maryland vs Michigan State Odds
| Maryland Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -115 | 130.5 -110o / -110u | +160 |
| Michigan State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -105 | 130.5 -110o / -110u | -190 |
Expect a full house at the Breslin Center on Tuesday evening as the Maryland Terrapins hit the road to take on Michigan State.
The Terrapins enter this matchup playing much better basketball of late, as they're coming off a blowout win at Minnesota. It seems like ages ago when they struggled mightily at Michigan and Rutgers. They didn't eclipse 51 points in either matchup about a month ago.
For the Spartans — who are coming off a tough loss at Rutgers — they desperately need to get the ball rolling if they want to reach the NCAA Tournament.
As of right now, the Spartans are barely holding onto a bid, as Joe Lunardi currently projects them as a nine seed.
Will Maryland keep it rolling and put the Spartans into panic mode? Let's see which team we can make a case for below.
Maryland Terrapins
It's been the Jahmir Young show for the Terps, as the star senior guard has been carrying them on offense throughout the entire season. Young averages 16 points per game, and he came up huge in the Terps' home game against Indiana last Wednesday (20 points).
The Terps have been solid in year one of the Kevin Willard era. There has been times where all hope seemed to be lost, including embarrassing performances in the past month at Michigan, and Rutgers.
It's also no surprise that a Willard coached squad is balanced on both ends of the floor. Maryland ranks inside the top 35 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, per KenPom.
With the team playing much better as of late, it'll be interesting to see if the Terps can pull off the victory in a tough environment.
Maryland is definitely a snail on offense, as it ranks 282nd in Adjusted Tempo. This is what Willard wants, as even he knows his team is slightly stronger on the defensive side of the ball.
Limiting possessions for the opposition and getting out in transition is the Terps' bread and butter.
Donta Scott and Hakim Hart will have to provide some help to Young in order for the Terps to steal a victory on the road.
Michigan State Spartans
How can we have a March Madness without Tom Izzo? Is that even possible?
Well, it certainly will be if the Spartans don't get their act together in these next few weeks.
The Spartans have reached the NCAA Tournament a Big Ten record 24 straight times, so it'll be quite strange to not see them playing in mid-March.
The Spartans have dropped three out of their last four games and are definitely trending in the wrong direction.
The underlying metrics suggest that they may have been a bit unlucky in terms of their overall record, since they do rank inside the top 33 in defensive efficiency and 70th in offensive efficiency.
They are also a snail on offense, so this is another team that likes to rely on their half-court defense.
Tyson Walker and Joey Hauser are vital pieces to the Spartans' success, and guard A.J. Hoggard certainly solidifies the Spartans' backcourt.
The one area that has been the true Achillies' heel of this Spartans offense has been their ability to earn second chances. Michigan State ranks 261st in the country in offensive rebounding, so points have become a premium when it does earn those opportunities.
With the Spartans being 6-6 in the Big Ten and Maryland being 7-5, this matchup could shake up the seeding for the conference tournament.
This will be a good test to see if the Spartans deserve to go dancing in March, because if they drop another game in East Lansing, it'll be full on panic mode.
Maryland vs Michigan State Betting Pick
I already had this game circled after Saturday since I thought this would be a great spot to back Michigan State.
With the Spartans having such an up-and-down type of season, we really have not seen them at their best yet.
As for Maryland, as much as I think the underlying metrics are encouraging, we have probably reached the top of its market.
I didn't expect the Spartans to be three-point favorites in this matchup, but given the circumstances, I expect the Terps to be backed pretty heavily by the public.
I think the market realizes this and opened the spread where it was for a reason.
All things considered, I think Izzo gets his team to come out on fire in front of the home crowd. They definitely need this win more than the Terps do, so I love this spot for Sparty.
Pick: Michigan State -3 |
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