The Indiana Hoosiers and Maryland Terrapins have crossed paths once each of the last three seasons. If the end results of those games are any type of indicator, Saturday afternoon’s throw down in College Park will be extremely competitive with all three games decided by an average of 3.0 points per game. Both squads have been in a funk of late for college basketball bettors with the Hoosiers managing just one cover against the current college basketball odds in their last five games, while the Terps have failed to cover each of their last four against the closing pointspread. Maryland is 2-2 SU and 1-3 ATS in the last four meetings with the under cashing in three times. Expect both squads to be ready for this huge B1G clash!
This Big Ten showdown is set to go down on Saturday, January 4, 2020. Tip-off will be at 12 p.m. ET from the XFINITY Center in College Park, MD. The game will be broadcast on FOX. So make sure to fill out your March Madness Bracket today!
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Odds Analysis
Partaking in three straight games that went to the wire looked to be the straw that broke the camel’s back when the Hoosiers last hit the hardwood at home against the Arkansas Razorbacks. After squeaking out a 62-60 win against Notre Dame its previous time out and pulling out a 96-90 overtime win at Nebraska before that, Indiana was running on empty against the Hogs in the second half when it was outscored by 12 points to ultimately fall by a 71-64 final count as 6-point Assembly Hall favorites; the defeat was the first absorbed in front of the Bloomington faithful. They should be rested and ready to go in hopes of finally logging a win at Maryland in conference play.
It’s been a rough go of it recently for Maryland since Mark Turgeon’s troops busted out of the gates by winning each of their first 10 games and splitting against the closing college basketball betting odds. Since battling back to defeat Illinois 59-58 in a game they likely shouldn’t have won, the Terps have gone 1-2 SU and 0-3 ATS in falling at Penn State and Seton Hall before returning home to take care of Bryant 84-70 in a non-covering fashion as decided 22-point favorites. Maryland’s 3-4 ATS laying points at home to date and enter this tilt winners of eight straight in front of the hometown faithful; they’re 1-3 ATS when laying up to 5-points dating back to last season.
Matchup to Watch
When these teams locked horns last season, Maryland simply destroyed Indiana on the glass outboarding the Hoosiers 38-24 by way of Bruno Fernando and Jaylen Smith combining for 23 caroms. The former is no longer on the roster, but Smith and his 10.1 rebounds per game will once again play a crucial role in how this one plays out in the record books. The Terps big man has notched a double-double four of the last five times he took to the hardwood, but he’ll now have to deal with Hoosiers big man Trayce Jackson-Davis whose shined so far in his freshman campaign in averaging 15.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Smith has been prone to accumulating fouls this season. If No. 4 can get him into early foul trouble, it would allow for Indiana to not only compete in the battle of the boards, but also open lanes up to the hoop for Devonte Green and Al Durham to take advantage of.
Prediction
While Maryland has taken on the tougher overall schedule and gets the benefit of hosting this matchup, something leads me to believe that Indiana will be a live dog in this spot. The Hoosiers have been nothing to get excited about on the road under Archie Miller’s watch, but this year’s squad already has a pair of confidence-building neutral court wins against UConn and Notre Dame under its belt. Getting blown out at Wisconsin by 20 points in their only true road test of the season should have them determined to put forth a much better showing on Saturday. As close the recent battles have been paired with the matchups on the court and Maryland’s recent struggles against the spread, I’m calling for Indy to finally score a win in the XFINITY Center!
College Basketball Pick: Indiana 71, Maryland 70
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