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A recent swoon has dropped the Maryland Terrapins from atop the Big Ten standings, and now they are a longshot to win the conference. Maryland must be perfect down the stretch and then hope for some help to win the regular season crown.
The first step will be a victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes, who are in the middle of the pack in the conference. Maryland has the superior record and the home court advantage so there is no doubt they will be the team to beat in this matchup.
Iowa broke a three-game losing streak last time out but must play very well to have a chance at starting a winning streak.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, February 25, 2017, at 6 p.m. ET at the XFINITY Center in College Park, Maryland. The game will be televised live on ESPN2.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
Odds at BookMaker.eu
Maryland is 22-6 straight up and 16-10-1 against the spread. The Terrapins are 7-7-1 against the spread in home games on the year. Maryland has been fantastic as an underdog this season but has only covered in six of 15 attempts as the favorite.
Iowa is 15-13 straight up and 10-14-1 against the spread. The Hawkeyes have been awful on the road this year, covering only once in eight tries. Iowa is 5-8 against the spread as the underdog on the year. The Hawkeyes must play better in a hostile environment to have a shot in this one.
Last Meeting
Iowa hung around last time these two teams played, but Maryland eventually pulled away for an 84-76 victory. The Terrapins jumped out to a nine-point lead after the first half and was able to keep the Hawkeyes at bay.
Melo Trimble led the way, scoring 20 points and adding five rebounds and five assists. He hit five three-pointers in the game, and if he can get his game going from beyond the arc, he is hard to stop. The Terrapins had five different players score in double figures in that one and would love to have that balance once again.
Iowa was led by Peter Jok with 14 points but he shot only 33 percent from the field. The Hawkeyes’ best player, Jok will need to play better in this one for his team to have a shot at the upset.
Maryland improved to 17-2 with that victory but has won only five of nine contests since that time to lose the lead in the Big Ten.
Key Stat
4. Those are the number of losses within the past six games that have dropped Maryland out of first place in the conference. It started with a defeat at the hands of Purdue by one point and then a loss to Penn State by six.
The Terrapins bounced back with consecutive victories over Ohio State and Northwestern but lost a pair last weekend. The first one had all sorts of implications as No. 11 Wisconsin was able to down Maryland. The Terrapins then fell flat against Minnesota in a game that could really come back to bite them.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Maryland was making a surprising run at the conference crown but now it’s an extreme longshot. However, the Terrapins are still a shoo-in for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and are attempting to lock up a high seed.
They shouldn’t have much trouble in this one against an inferior opponent. The only way Iowa can come away with this win is if Jok has a huge game, but it seems as if Maryland has the better talent on the floor.
Add in the home court advantage, and this one is an easy call.
College Basketball Odds: Maryland 79, Iowa 71
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