Maryland Terrapins vs Ohio State Buckeyes Predictions, Picks, Odds, and NCAA Basketball Betting Preview – February 23 2020

The Maryland Terrapins (+1300 to win the 2020 Tournament) are a few wins and games away from securing the Big 10 regular-season title. Up next for them is a rematch with the Ohio State Buckeyes (+4500), who are seeking to improve their March Madness resume by taking down a top-10 team like Maryland. Read on for more about this big game down in Columbus.

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Betting Preview for the Maryland Terrapins vs Ohio State Buckeyes NCAA College Basketball Game on February 23 2020

Where: Value City Arena, Columbus

When: Sunday, February 23, 2020, 4:00 PM ET

Line: Maryland Terrapins (Odds) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (Odds) – view all 2019-20 NCAAB lines

TV Broadcast: ESPN

Betting on the Maryland Terrapins (22-4 Overall / 12-3 Conference)

Thanks to a recent loss by the Penn State Nittany Lions and their continuing surge, the Terps have widened the gap between them and the rest of the Big 10, as they remain seated solo on top of the conference. The Terps defeated the Northwestern Wildcats last Tuesday at home, 76-67, for their ninth win in a row. That stretch also includes wins over the No. 18 Iowa Hawkeyes at home and the No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini on the road. Forward Jalen Smith has made double-doubles a norm whenever he steps on the court. Smith scored 22 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in the Northwestern game, extending his run of double-doubles to nine straight games. He is the engine that’s making the Terps run, but he’s not the only part functioning smoothly for Maryland. The Terps also have Anthony Cowan Jr. who scored 20 points and had six rebounds in their 67-55 home win over the Buckeyes back in January. In that same game, Smith had 11 points and seven rebounds to go with a pair of blocks. Maryland’s defense can be a nightmare for any opponent, and Ohio State can attest to that after shooting just 31.3 percent from the field in the first meeting this season with the Terps.

The Terrapins are 7-3 against the spread (ATS) in their last 10 games.

Betting on the Ohio State Buckeyes (17-9 Overall / 7-8 Conference)

The Buckeyes suffered an 85-76 road loss to the No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes last Thursday. That’s not a good thing, but at least that was a Quadrant 1 loss. Before that, the Buckeyes had a two-game win streak, beating the Rutgers Scarlett Knights and th the Purdue Boilermakers–both quality teams–at home. The Buckeyes got victimized by an early 27-8 run by Luka Garza and the Hawkeyes in the first half and had a hard time the rest of the way clawing out of a hole. Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State’s leading scorer this season, only had eight points against Iowa. As a team, the Buckeyes went 9 of 30 from deep and shot just 41.9 percent from the field. Ohio State dominated the boards, 38-29, and were plus-nine on the offensive glass, but struggled immensely to score on second tries on offense.  Ohio State likes to shoot a lot of threes, and that’s not going to change anytime soon regardless of how good or bad they shot from deep in the previous game, so expect them to let it fly over and over agin. On the season, the Buckeyes are making 38.2 percent of their 3-point shots — good for 12th-best in the nation.

The Buckeyes are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games.

Writer’s Prediction

Maryland wins, 68-64.

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