No. 14 Maryland and unranked Michigan widened some eyes Tuesday night. The Terrapins upset No. 5 Wisconsin to inch closer to the Big Ten Championship, while the Wolverines defeated highly-regarded freshman DeAngelo Russell and No. 24 Ohio State. The two now meet in what should be a highly-entertaining matchup between fierce competitors.
Can the Wolverines knockout their second straight ranked foe? Read on as we break down this B1G Saturday game.
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[sc:MarchMadness ]Michigan Wolverines vs. Maryland Terrapins Preview
Where: XFINITY Center, Maryland
When: Saturday, February 28, 12:00 PM ET
Line: Michigan Wolverines at Maryland Terrapins – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Michigan Wolverines
Spike Albrecht scored 16 points, Zak Irvin nailed three from downtown, and the Michigan Wolverines upset the Ohio State Buckeyes 64-57 on Tuesday night.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Going against a dangerous opponent, the Wolverines showed an excellent plan to stifle their opponents’ stars. They milked the clock on nearly every possession and attempted most of their shots with 10 seconds or less left on the shot clock.
When the Wolverines take on another team powered by a high-scoring freshman in Maryland, expect them to have essentially the same game plan. Milking the clock may take away precious scoring chances from the Terrapins, who’ve attempted an average of 46.3 field goals in their last three.
Michigan can also pull away from their opponents with some timely threes from their deep set of guards. Irvin has made 38 percent of his three-point attempts over the past five games, while Albrecht has made 39 percent. Aubrey Dawkins could also be an option to hit crucial three-pointers, shooting 39 percent from downtown this season.
The Wolverines are 3-1 ATS in their last four games on the road.
Betting on the Maryland Terrapins
Senior guard Dez Wells had an excellent game against Big Ten leader Wisconsin. He finished with 26 points with seven rebounds and four assists as the Terps beat Wisconsin 59-53. Wells has now scored in double figures in eight straight games. He had plenty of help from electric freshman Melo Trimble, who had 16 points.
Wells and Trimble combined to shoot 52 percent from the field against Wisconsin, which is No. 8 in the nation in scoring defense (55.6 points allowed per game). They should be able to find their stroke against Michigan, which has allowed opponents to shoot 45 percent from the field, 244th in the league.
The Terps could also get some production from Jake Layman. While he put up a stinker against Wisconsin (he shot 27 percent from the floor), he had shot 50 percent from downtown and 47 percent overall in the four games leading up to the Badgers.
The Terps have been unbeatable at home, going a perfect 8-0 in conference play. However, they’ve gone just 3-5 against the spread, and haven’t covered a spread of five points or more as home favorites.
Writer’s Prediction
Spurred by their big win, the Terps get their shots falling to rout Michigan.
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