The Maryland Terrapins (+2200 to win the 2020 NCAA Championship) and the Iowa Hawkeyes (+9000 to win the tournament) had a nail-biter of a game last season, and the two will look to have another thrilling contest this coming Friday at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The Terps are regarded as one of the best teams in the Big Ten, but the Hawkeyes are not going to be easy customers for Maryland, especially at home.
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Betting Preview for the Maryland Terrapins vs Iowa Hawkeyes NCAA College Basketball Game on January 10 2020
Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City
When: Friday, January 10, 2020, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Maryland Terrapins (Odds) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (Odds) – view all 2020 NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Maryland Terrapins (12-2 Overall / 0-2-10 Conference)
After back-to-back losses to the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Seton Hall Pirates, the Terrapins are building their confidence up again. Since those pair of setbacks, the Terps have gone 2-0 straight-up (SU) against the Bryant Bulldogs and the Indiana Hoosiers. The win over the Hoosiers was a significant boost to the Terrapins, as it was against a decent team. Terps forward Jalen Smith shone the brightest for his team in that game, as he had 19 points and eight rebounds, while senior guard Anthony Cowan Jr. had 13 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Smith is making it easy for Maryland to move on from Bruno Fernando, who was the team’s leading rebounder last season. With Smith, Maryland remains a great rebounding team. In fact, the Terps are fourth in the nation with 42.6 rebounds per game, and that will be key weapon in limiting the scoring chances of the Hawkeyes.
Maryland, which is third in the Big Ten in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency, has seen the total go over in two of its last three road games.
Betting on the Iowa Hawkeyes (10-4 Overall / 1-2 Conference)
In Luka Garza, the Hawkeyes trust. Although Iowa saw its four-game win streak snapped in an 89-86 loss to the Nittany Lions, Garza might have earned more respect with his play in that game. The junior center went off for 34 points on 13-of-19 shooting and had 12 rebounds and two blocks in 35 minutes of action. It’s a performance that’s far from being a fluke because Garza has been consistently putting up solids scoring numbers this season. Garza is Big Ten’s leading scorer, as of this writing. He is averaging 22.2 points per game on a high 57.9 percent shooting from the field. He should be fully motivated to show up against Maryland, as he only scored five points on a salty 1-for-7 shooting in last year’s 66-65 home loss to the Terps. Behind Garza and Joe Weiskamp (13.5 PPG), the Hawkeyes are currently second in the conference with 81.1 PPG and tops with 116.1 points per 100 possessions.
Iowa is 3-0 against the spread (ATS) in its last three home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Iowa wins, 74-72.
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