The Minnesota Golden Gophers and Maryland Terrapins will lock horns for the second time this season to wrap up Sunday’s slate in college basketball. I’ve prepared the best betting pick for this Big Ten Conference showdown at XFINITY Center in College Park, Maryland, so let’s take a closer look.
Back on January 23, the Terrapins routed the Gophers 63-49 as 5.5-point road underdogs with a total of 145.0 points. Maryland opened as a 2-point home fave for Sunday’s clash, while the total sits at 137.5 points on BetRivers Sportsbook.
Minnesota eyes its third straight W
The Minnesota Golden Gophers (13-7; 6-7 Conf.) had a rough patch that started in January, dropping five of six games in the conference play, but they bounced back this week with a couple of home wins over Nebraska 79-61 and No. 24 Purdue 71-68.
Marcus Carr dropped 21 points on the Cornhuskers and posted a line of 19 points, four boards, five assists, and just one turnover in that narrow win over the Boilermakers. The 6-foot-2 junior guard is leading the way for Minnesota this season, tallying 19.9 points, 4.1 boards, and 5.4 assists a night, while junior forward Liam Robbins adds 13.1 points and 7.3 boards per game.
The Gophers are tied with Indiana for the eighth spot in the Big Ten Conference, four games behind top-seeded Michigan. They are No. 50 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 35 in the KenPom rankings. Minnesota scores 112.0 points per 100 possessions (36th in the nation) and surrenders 94.0 in a return (45th).
Maryland lost three of its last four games overall
The Maryland Terrapins (10-10; 4-9 Conf.) are sitting at the 12th spot of the Big Ten standings after dropping three of their previous four contests, a couple of games behind the Golden Gophers, and half a game behind Michigan State and Penn State.
Over their last two showings, the Terrapins suffered a pair of losses at No. 4 Ohio State 73-65 and Penn State 55-50. Interestingly, Maryland is No. 43 in the latest NCAA NET Rankings, but the Terrapins are six spots behind the Gophers in the KenPom rankings.
Junior guard Eric Ayala tops the Terrapins scoring chart with 14.3 points per game. Another junior G Aaron Wiggins tallies 12.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest, while sophomore forward Donta Scott adds 12.4 points and 6.4 rebounds a night. Maryland scores 110.0 points per 100 possessions (59th) and yields 93.2 in a return (37th).
Minnesota:
- 0-4-1 ATS in the last five games against Maryland
Maryland:
- 4-1 ATS in the last five home contests against Minnesota
College Basketball Predictions
Maryland has the Gophers’ number, going 9-2 SU and 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 head-to-head duels. The Terrapins played terrific defense in that 14-point win in Minneapolis three weeks ago, holding the Gophers to just 30.4% shooting from the field, so I’m backing them to extend their dominance over Minnesota.
Marcus Carr scored 25 of Minnesota’s 49 points, and the Terrapins won’t mind if he enjoys another good game and still suffers a loss. Maryland desperately needs a win after dropping five of their previous eight games on the home court. The Terrapins are 0-7 ATS in their last seven home tilts, and that awful run will have to come to an end.
Pick: Take Maryland -2.0 at -110
The Total:
I won’t overthink the totals after the Gophers and Terrapins combined for 112 points in their first meeting of the season. Give me the under on the totals because both teams lean on their defenses, especially the Terrapins.
Maryland will look to slow down things, as the Terrapins average four possessions per 40 minutes fewer than Minnesota. The under is 4-1 in Maryland’s last five games, and it is 9-2 in Minnesota’s previous 11 contests overall.
Pick: Go under 137.5 points at -110