The No. 9 Maryland Terrapins have come up with some awfully impressive second half comebacks to win games this season. Most recently, there was the second half surge in Evanston that allowed them to not only win but also cover the lofty road chalk against Northwestern. Then there was the dominant second half put forth to beat the Illinois Fighting Illini outright. Both of those games paled in comparison to the theft that just occurred in the Twin Cities when Darryl Morsell all but packed the Minnesota Golden Gophers bags for the NIT by burying a 3-ball that allowed the Terps to come back from a 17-point deficit and log the exhilarating 74-73 win and cover/push depending upon where you got into the market at online sportsbooks. No hangover will be allowed this weekend when Cassius Winston and the Michigan State Spartans pay College Park a visit looking to avenge the loss they absorbed on their home hardwood a few weeks back.
This Big Ten showdown will take place on Saturday, February 29, 2020. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET from the XFINITY Center in College Park, MD. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
Odds Analysis
Raise your hand if you’re buying into what Sparty is trying to sell you right now. If it’s up, you’re brainwashed. Now go watch Izzo’s kids cut down the nets in April; I’m still not buying it! Winston is a heck of a player, but this team is flawed in so many ways that it has me looking to avoid it come March Madness betting. The team has shown time and time again that it simply can’t get the job done on the road evidenced by coming up short in B1G play against the likes of Purdue, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan. It was lucky to escape the Illini with the other wins coming against Northwestern, Minnesota and Nebraska. It’s been so bad for the team in the month of February that it enters this tilt 3-4 SU and a bankroll destroying 1-6 ATS. That said, it’s seemingly turned it around of late in winning three of its last four.
So is it time we start taking the Terrapins as legit national championship contenders? Mark Turgeon’s kids are currently lined with the Florida States, Kentuckys and San Diego States at 16-1 to cut the nets down. Only Louisville, Dayton, Gonzaga, Duke, Baylor and Kansas have shorter odds. With that, linemakers are starting to take Anthony Cowan Jr. and company as bonafide contenders. If nothing else, the team has proven it’s got an ample supply of alligator blood running through its veins with its never say die mentality leading it to a number of wins it likely shouldn’t have accrued. Be that as it may, Maryland currently sits atop the B1G standings with two game leads over both Penn State and Michigan State. On top of that, it’s yet to drop a game at home where it’s gone 15-0 SU and 8-7 ATS.
Key Matchup
The Terps outshot Sparty 36 percent to 21 percent from deep in East Lansing, and the team’s ability to hit the 3-balls late allowed for it to get out of the “Izzone” with a 67-60 win and cover in tow. But if not for Anthony Cowan Jr’s late-game heroics from deep, Sparty would’ve likely battled back from a double-digit first half deficit to secure not only the win but also the pointspread cover. Maryland’s stud point guard scored the team’s final 11 points to allow for it to overcome a seven-point deficit; Jalen Smith started the run with a hit from deep of his own. Then it was the Cowan show after he hit successive 3-balls to once again put the Spartans behind the proverbial 8-ball and turn the lights out. As obvious it sounds, Michigan State is going to need to do a much better job defending No. 1 this time after he torched them for 24 points with all five of his field goals converted from beyond the arc.
Prediction
It was a game of runs the first time these squads ran up against one another, and that will likely be the case once again when they square off for the final time in the regular season on Saturday night. The XFINITY Center is going to be rocking in a huge way, and the Terps will be installed favorites this time around; likely in the 3-5 point range. I backed the Terrapins in the Twin Cities on Wednesday night and got in on a number that allowed me to cash the ticket. With that, I’m a bit concerned Maryland suffers in a prime letdown spot. That paired with Sparty seeking same season revenge will have me taking as many points as possible in a game I foresee going down to the wire. It’s a flip of the coin as to who wins outright, but I’ll be taking the points regardless.
College Basketball Pick: Maryland 68, Michigan State 67
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