At this late stage of the season, the Wisconsin Badgers practically own the Big Ten regular season championship with their stellar 13-1 conference record. One of their remaining competitors are the Maryland Terrapins, who have slowly climbed up to second place as a potential challenger for the conference crown. Can the Terps steal the Badgers’ thunder? Read on as we break down this B1G showdown.
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[sc:MarchMadness ]Wisconsin Badgers vs. Maryland Terrapins Preview
Where: XFINITY Center, Maryland
When: Tuesday, February 24, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Wisconsin Badgers (-6) at Maryland Terrapins (+6) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Wisconsin Badgers
Frank Kaminsky. That’s the name that should be feared whenever Wisconsin steps onto your court. He has five double-doubles in 13 conference games this season. He ranks in the top 10 in points (17.7 per game), rebounds (8.7 per game) and blocks (1.6 per game) in the Big Ten. The Badgers big man also steps it up against Big Ten opposition on the road, averaging 18.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Kaminsky has more than one weapon to threaten Maryland. He can use his length to outrebound the much smaller Maryland lineup (with the exception of seven-footer Michal Cekovsky who plays just 12.6 minutes per game). Kaminsky also has a reliable outside shot (50 percent in his last two games) which can help exploit Maryland’s 36.7 percent three-point defense at home.
Speaking of Wisconsin’s three-point attack, sophomore guard Bronson Koenig has also been a sharpshooter from outside. His off game at Penn State notwithstanding, Koenig has hit 12-of-23 three-pointers in his last four games.
Koenig also takes care of the ball well. He has 0.6 turnovers per game in the 27 he’s played. He should be able to avoid turnovers considering Maryland’s inability to take away opponents’ possession (bottom 50 in the nation with five steals per game).
Wisconsin has won 10 straight, but is just 4-5-1 against the spread over that stretch.
Betting on the Maryland Terrapins
Melo Trimble’s big game handed Maryland a close 69-65 win over Nebraska on Thursday. He had 26 points on 7-of-9 shooting and made 10-of-11 free throws, and led Maryland with six rebounds and five assists. It’ll be crucial for Trimble to effectively run the offense against Wisconsin’s stout shooting defense (41.3 percent).
While the Badgers focus on stopping Trimble, two Terps in Dez Wells and Jake Layman could exploit the defensive lapses of their opponents. Wells and Layman have shot about 55 percent from inside the arc in their last three games at home.
Still, don’t expect Trimble to lay low in scoring. He’s averaged 18.6 points over seven conference home games this season. Trimble has also been efficient in driving toward the basket and drawing fouls going 45-for-51 from the charity stripe in his last seven games. But getting to the line against Wisconsin may be more difficult to manage. The Badgers have allowed an average of five attempts from the free-throw line in their last three games.
The Terps are have won four of their last five, but have covered just one of those games against the spread.
Writer’s Prediction
Kaminsky explodes for another monster game to lead Wisconsin to a big win and cover. Take the Badgers by blowout.
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