Maryland Terrapins vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights Betting Preview
Where: Louis Brown Athletic Center— Piscataway, New Jersey
When: Tuesday, February 28, 2017, 6:30 PM ET
Line: Maryland Terrapins (-6.5) vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (+6.5); total: 134.5 – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: BTN
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Betting on the Maryland Terrapins (22-7, 10-6 Big Ten)
Maryland should have a sure win here, but three-straight setbacks and five losses in its last seven games (2-4-1 ATS) isn’t an assuring sight. As a result of this slump, the Terps dropped out of the AP Top 25 and are likely out of the Big Ten title race.
Melo Trimble remains to be the heart and soul of this team. He leads Maryland with 17.1 points and 3.6 assists per contest this season. Behind him though, there’s no one experienced enough to rely on especially whenever the third-year guard is on the bench or is having a rough night.
Freshmen Justin Jackson and Anthony Cowen, though, have played well enough to average double-digits in points with 10.7 and 10.4, respectively. The latter has finished with 11 or more points in four of his last five games, including a 19-point performance in the win over Ohio State earlier this month.
The Terps got the 67-55 home win against Rutgers in the first meeting this season.
Betting on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (13-16, 2-14 Big Ten)
Rutgers has the worst record (2-14) in the Big Ten, but this team’s playing a lot better with a pair of recent four-point losses at Northwestern and at home versus Michigan.
The Scarlet Knights, who have gone 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games, are led by trigger-happy guards in Corey Sanders and Nigel Johnson. The two are averaging 13.1 and 11.0 points, respectively, but are both shooting below 40 percent from the floor.
Junior forward Deshawn Freeman is their most efficient scorer by far, hitting nearly 50 percent of his field goal attempts with a scoring average of 10.9 points per contest. He also has 13 double-doubles on the season, and owns a team-high 8.1 rebounds per outing.
Rebounding is one of only a few areas of success for Rutgers, ranking 10th in the entire country in offensive boards. The same could be said at the defensive end, as the Scarlett Knights give up just 67.1 points (55th).
Writer’s Prediction
Rutgers (+6.5) pulls off the upset, 73-69.
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