Northwestern Wildcats vs Maryland Terrapins Betting Pick & Prediction 2/28/24
Don’t miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Wildcats and Terrapins. The game is starting at 7:00 ET on BTN, and it’s hosted by the Terrapins at XFINITY Center in College Park, MD. Get ready to place your bets! The over/under line for this matchup is currently at 128.5 points, and Maryland is favored by -5.5 to win at home against Northwestern.
NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS VS MARYLAND TERRAPINS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Maryland Terrapins -5.5
This game will be played at XFINITY Center at 7:00 ET on Wednesday, February 28th.
WHY BET THE MARYLAND TERRAPINS:
- We have this one finishing with a projected score of 76-68 in favor of the Terrapins.
- Not only will Maryland pick up the win, but look for them to cover at -5.5.
- The over/under is currently sitting at 128.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 144 points.
Will Northwestern Make it Happen on the Road?
Northwestern has a record of 19-8 this season, including a 10-6 mark in Big Ten play. They are coming off a 76-62 win over Michigan and have won two straight games. For the season, they are 9-2 in non-conference games, compared to 10-6 in conference action.
On the road, the Wildcats are just 3-7 this season, and they have gone 1-4 in their last five games away from home. For the year, they have been outscored by an average of 5.6 points per game on the road.
Northwestern has been solid against the spread this year, going 14-11-2. Their road ATS mark is 4-5-1 and they are 6-4 vs. the spread as the underdog. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Wildcats are 6-4 ATS.
Northwestern’s over/under record for the season is 17-10 and today’s over/under line of 128.5 is lower than the average over/under line in their games this year (137.3). Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 135 points and their over/under record during this stretch is 1-2. So far, 22 of their games have finished with more points than today’s OU line of 128.5.
In their recent game, the Wildcats’ offense concluded with 76 points, consistent with their ongoing season average of 74.4 points per contest. The team’s top scorer is Boo Buie, who enters today’s matchup with an average of 18.9, while Brooks Barnhizer also carries a PPG average of 14.3 into the game.
The Wildcats’ defense is presently ranked 102nd nationally, allowing an average of 69.3 points per contest. In their previous game vs. Michigan, the Wolverines finished with a field goal percentage of 46% and a total of 62 points vs. Northwestern.
Can the Terrapins Please their Home Crowd?
Coming into this game, Maryland is 11-5 at home this season, and they have gone 6-4 in their last ten games at home. On the year, they have been favored in 15 games, going 11-4 in those matchups.
Recently, the Terrapins have gone 2-3 in their last five games at home, and they are coming off a 63-46 win over Rutgers. So far, they have gone 15-13 overall, including a 7-10 record in Big Ten play.
When looking at Maryland’s ATS record this season, they are currently 12-16. At home, their ATS mark drops to 6-10. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Terps are 5-5 vs. the spread.
Today’s over/under line of 128.5 is lower than the average over/under line in Maryland’s games this season (136.1), and the average scoring total in their games this year is 133.9. Over their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1, and the average scoring total in those games is 139 points.
The Maryland offense is coming off a game in which they scored 63 points vs. Rutgers. Overall their field goal percentage was 41.2% while connecting on 6 threes. Jahmir Young is leading the team in scoring at 20.8 points per contest. Julian Reese has also been a key contributor with a PPG average of 14 going into the game.
The Terrapins’ defense is presently ranked 22nd nationally, allowing an average of 64.3 points per contest. Against Rutgers in their most recent game, the Maryland defense gave up a total of 46 points while allowing Rutgers to hit 37% of their shots.