Maryland vs. Rutgers: College Basketball Best Bets, Picks & Predictions (Thursday)
After No. 1 Purdue lost at home to Rutgers on Monday, it opened the door for a new team to claim the No. 1 ranking when the AP poll comes out next week. No. 3 Kansas has a legitimate argument after an impressive road victory against Texas Tech, and No. 2 Houston gets a chance to make a statement tonight when hosting rival SMU.
Here are our best bets for Thursday’s college basketball action. And here’s a closer look at Maryland vs. Rutgers.
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings)
Maryland vs. Rutgers: College Basketball Best Bets, Picks & Predictions (Thursday)
This is exactly the kind of game that sportsbooks clean up on, and in our desire to be contrarian more often than not, backing Maryland in this spot could be one of the most anti-public sides by tip-off. The Scarlet Knights are three days removed from a road upset of the No. 1 team in the country, while Maryland is coming off a 35-point road loss at Michigan. However, the Terrapins’ struggles go beyond that, as they lost four of six, with the only two wins coming against Saint Peter’s and UMBC.
So how can Maryland cover? Head coach Kevin Willard is familiar with Rutgers’ scheme from his days at Seton Hall. And neither team lights up the scoreboard, as they rank eighth and ninth in scoring in the league in scoring. In addition, Maryland has shown great resiliency, going 4-0 ATS in its last four games following losses by 20 or more points. Thus, we will take the points in what should be a low-scoring game between two teams that ranks in the top 21 in both effective field goal percentage defense and 3-point percentage allowed.
Bet: Maryland +6 (-110 at DraftKings)
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