A good one is set to go down in East Lansing on Saturday night when the No. 9 Maryland Terrapins square off against Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans with first place in the Big Ten there for the taking. Sparty most recently fell out of the top-25 but likely got back in after scoring the last second win at Illinois last time out. The Terps have recently been playing with their hair on fire and will invade MSU winners of seven straight that’s seen it cash tickets at online sportsbooks five times while covering all three played games away from College Park. Should their win streak improve in this spot, Mark Turgeon’s kids would’ve snapped a three-game losing streak to a Spartans side that’s won and covered each of the last three times they hosted this rivalry winning by an average of 17.7 points per game.
This Big Ten matchup is set to go down on Saturday, February 15, 2020. Tip-off will be at 6 p.m. ET from the Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN. So make sure to fill out your March Madness Bracket today!
CBB Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
Coming off a huge come-from-behind win at Illinois that saw the Terps outscore the Illini 35-24 in the second half to log the impressive 75-66 triumph as 3-point underdogs, college basketball bettors were firmly aware that Tuesday night’s home tilt with the Cornhuskers had hangover spot written all over it. While it didn’t look like that through 20 minutes of play with the Terps taking a 13-point lead with them into the break, Anthony Cowan Jr. and company took their foot off the gas in the second half which allowed for Big Red to put way more of a scare in the XFINITY Center crowd than there should’ve been. Maryland ultimately won the game 72-70 but came nowhere close to the 18-point closing spread to fall to 1-2 ATS over the last three games.
It’s crazy to think how talented MSU is and for it not to be ranked amongst the top-25 entering the week. But that’s what happens when you go the way of the Ohio State Buckeyes and start losing games to opponents that you shouldn’t. So far in B1G play, Sparty has incurred losses to Purdue, Indiana, Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan. As competitive the Big Ten is this season it’s understandable, but Cassius Winston was the leader of this team that entered the regular season ranked No. 1 in the land. While there’s a ton of talent littered throughout the roster, it’s showed plenty of times that it can be beat. Luckily, it escaped Champagne on Tuesday night due to Xavier Tillman’s put-back slam with only seconds remaining to secure the 70-69 triumph.
Key Stat
Maryland enters this matchup the team to beat atop the Big Ten standings. For Jalen Smith and his mates to continue being as such, it must continue to get the job done at the defensive end of the court where it’s allowing just over 62 points per game and is ranked No. 5 nationally in efficiency per the current Pomeroy Ratings. The defense has fueled the current win streak with it allowing an average of just 64.4 points, but the over has cashed in each of its last three on the road with an average of 145.7 point scored. The Spartans were embarrassed the last time they took to their home hardwood in dropping a 75-70 decision to Penn State as decided 8.5-point favorites. That game still failed to surpass the closing total which has me thinking points will be tough to come by in this one as well.
Prediction
The Breslin Center has been nothing short of a house of horrors for the Terps since becoming a member of the Big Ten. As hot Turgeon’s kids currently are, I still don’t foresee that trend changing on Saturday night. Last time The Izzone saw its beloved team, it got skunked my Lamar Stevens and the Nittany Lions. Michigan State isn’t dropping two in a row at home. Look for Cassius Winston to be more than up for the challenge of dueling with Cowan Jr. and for Tillman to relish the opportunity of matching wits with Jalen Smith. It’ll be a war that will no doubt be competitive all the way through. But in the end, Sparty will find a way to come out triumphant and cover the spread to defend its hardwood.
College Basketball Pick: Michigan State 73, Maryland 65
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