Assembly Hall will be at a fever pitch come Sunday afternoon when the Indiana Hoosiers attempt to upset another ranked team in Big Ten play when Mark Turgeon’s No. 17 Maryland Terrapins come to town. Both clubs enter this tilt off big wins. The Terps got more than they bargained for in Evanston to kick off the week, but Jalen Smith and Aaron Wiggins came up huge in the second half to allow for the team to log a second straight win and cover to remain in the thick of the conference title race. As for the Hoosiers, Archie Miller’s kids might have just put forth their statement game of the season by upsetting the No. 11 Michigan State Spartans as short underdogs. With the teams tied in the standings and Maryland sweeping the rivalry a season ago, Indiana can’t afford to let down in this spot before hitting the road for a pair of tough games.
This Big 10 showdown will take place on Sunday, January 26, 2020. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET from Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN. The game will be broadcast live on CBS. So make sure to fill out your March Madness Bracket today!
CBB Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
Maryland has been nothing short of automatic when at home where they’ve won all 11 played games and gone a moneymaking 7-4 ATS. The story has been much different on the road where Anthony Cowan Jr. and his mates had won just three of seven games going into Tuesday night’s road tilt at Northwestern. It looked like they were headed towards loss No. 5 through the first 20 minutes of play, but the Terps made adjustments at the break that allowed for it to dominate the second half. When it was said and done, Maryland outscored UNW 51-26 in the second half to log the 77-66 win and cover as 7.5-point road chalk.
The Hoosiers hosted Michigan State winners in three of its previous four games (2-2 ATS) off a solid road effort at Nebraska that saw them secure the 82-74 win and cover as 6.5-point favorites. Miller’s kids let the Spartans know they meant business early on by bolting out to a commanding 18-4 lead, but MSU cut the deficit to 37-30 at the break. MSU would even go on to take a 51-48 lead with just over 11 minutes remaining in the second half, but the Hoosiers made the shots and got the stops needed to hold on for the 67-63 outright win and cover as 4-point underdogs. The triumph moved Indiana to 12-1 SU and 8-5 ATS at home.
Recent Meeting
These squads already met once this season in in College Park where the Terrapins tallied the 75-59 win and cover as 6.5-point favorites. Maryland kept the Hoosiers at an arm’s length for the game’s entirety taking an 8 point lead into the break before ultimately winning it by 16 points. Jalen Smith had a big game for the home team with 18 points and 8 rebounds, but the keys to pulling out the win and cover ultimately proved to be not turning the ball over and getting to the charity stripe. The Terps only turned the ball over seven times to Indiana’s 14, and knocked down 21 of its 25 free throws; Indy only made 11 of 18. Neither team shot well from the field with Maryland’s 39 percent success rate the high water mark.
Prediction
These teams combined for just 48 points in the first half of the first meeting. Then all of a sudden things went bonkers over the game’s final 20 minutes and 86 points were put on the board. I’m expecting more of a balanced effort this time around with the game taking place at Assembly Hall. Throughout the Hoosiers recent resurgence, it’s been the defense that’s led the charge. Indiana’s allowing just 67.3 points per game at home in B1G play. If you take out the overtime match against Nebraska, it shrinks to 59.7 points per game. I’m still not sold that Maryland figured things out on the road last time out coming back to win and cover against Northwestern; the Wildcats stink! Indy outboarded the Terps 38-34 in the first go round. If they do that again and convert at a higher clip from the charity stripe, they win this game in a likely low scorer.
College Basketball Pick: Indiana 69, Maryland 61
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
