Melo Trimble and the rest of the No. 3 Maryland Terrapins put their nine-game winning streak on the line when they go on the road for an intriguing encounter with the Michigan Wolverines at the Crisler Center. Will the Terps be able to stay hot? Or will the Wolverines extinguish their flame?
Read on below for a full breakdown of this Big Ten matchup. And if you’re craving for some NBA action as well, you can check out our preview of the Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Maryland Terrapins vs. Michigan Wolverines Preview
Where: Crisler Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan
When: Tuesday, January 12, 09:00 PM ET
Line: Maryland Terrapins (-1) vs. Michigan Wolverines (+1) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Maryland Terrapins (15-1, 4-0 Big Ten)
[sc:NCAAB240banner]The Maryland Terrapins have won all but one of their games this season heading into their matchup with Michigan and are currently on a nine-game winning streak. During that stretch, they’ve beaten their opponents by an average margin of 17.7 points and are tallying 79.0 points per game.
Playing a key part in their on-going success is their dynamic one-two punch of Melo Trimble and Diamond Stone, who lead the team in scoring with 14.8 PPG and 13.1 PPG respectively. Trimble, in particular, has been even more phenomenal as he’s also consistently made plays for his teammates with a team-best 5.4 APG.
Needless to say, the third-ranked Terrapins will hope that these two could continue performing at a high level opposite a Wolverines defense that’s yielding just 63.8 points, which is among the lowest in the nation today. But if for some reason things don’t go their way, it’s a good thing that they still have the trio of Robert Carter, Jake Layman and Rasheed Sulaimon to carry some of the offensive load.
Carter is posting 12.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG and 3.4 APG while shooting the rock at a quality rate of 52 percent in his past seven games. He’s finished in double-figures five times during that stretch. Layman and Sulaimon, meanwhile, have had their share of productive outings this season by averaging 10 points apiece.
Over on defense, the Terrapins will really need to lock up Caris LeVert, who leads Michigan in points (17.6), rebounds (5.4) and assists (5.2), from the get go. LeVert, though, remains to be questionable for this game due to a lower left leg injury. Even if he fails to play, the Wolverines still have reliable options in Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Duncan Robinson and Derrick Walton Jr. to give the Maryland defense (63.6 points allowed per contest) some trouble.
Maryland is 10-0 SU and 6-4 ATS in its previous 10 games as the favored team.
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Betting on the Michigan Wolverines (12-4, 2-1 Big Ten)
Michigan’s six-game winning streak came to an end at the hands of the No.20 Purdue Boilermakers, who beat them, 87-70, last Thursday. The combined efforts from A.J. Hammons and Rapheal Davis, who combined for 33 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and five blocks, proved to be too much of a hurdle to overcome.
The Wolverines’ offense also really missed the services of their top player in the injured Caris LeVert. But with his absence, it apparently gave room for the likes of Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman to step up and fill in the void. Abdur-Rahkman has done a very good job in doing so as the sophomore guard has scored 39 total points in the last two games. That stretch includes a 25-point eruption opposite the Boilermakers.
With LeVert likely to miss his third-straight contest, the onus is on Abdur-Rahkman and the rest of the Wolverines to play their best against an even more intimidating opponent in the form of the Maryland Terrapins.
Abdur-Rahkman has surely raised some eyebrows with his previous outings and the Terrapins defense will surely try to cool him off. That being the case, this could give Derrick Walton Jr., Duncan Robinson or even Zak Irvin more opportunities to score some much-needed points.
Both Walton Jr. and Robinson and are posting double-figure numbers thus far this season with 10.1 PPG and 11.8 PPG respectively. Irvin, meanwhile, has had his share of productive moments across 15 games, averaging 8.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 3.1 APG.
Michigan is 2-8 SU and 3-7 ATS in its past 10 games as the underdog.
Writer’s Prediction
Maryland (-1) wins, 76-70.
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