The 10-seed Maryland Terrapins (16-13) meet the 7-seed UConn Huskies (15-7) Saturday in the first round of the East Regional at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. The tip-off is set for 7:10 p.m. ET and will be airing on CBS. Below, we analyze the Maryland-UConn odds and lines, with March Madness NCAA Tournament picks and predictions.
UConn returned to the Big East conference this season and is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 and Dan Hurley’s third season at the program.
The Huskies had a five-game winning streak snapped after losing to then-No. 17 Creighton in the Big East Tournament semifinals 59-56 as 2-point underdogs.
The Terrapins have lost three of their past four games (1-3 ATS), including a 79-69 loss to then-No. 4 Michigan in the quarterfinals of the Big 10 Tournament.
Maryland has made back-to-back NCAA Tournaments and it’s the fifth appearance in seven years under 10-year head coach Mark Turgeon. The Terps have won a game in three of their last four tournament appearances.
UConn vs. Maryland: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 8:10 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Maryland +140 (bet $100 to win $140) | UConn -165 (bet $165 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Maryland +3.5 (-110) | UConn -3.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 128.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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UConn vs. Maryland: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Maryland 63, UConn 60
Money line (ML)
Slight lean toward MARYLAND (+140) for a tiny wager since I like the Terps to cover the spread but if it’s one of the other, definitely take the points with the underdog.
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Against the spread (ATS)
MARYLAND +3.5 (-110) is slightly more experienced on the floor and Turgeon has a lot more tournament experience than Hurley.
Also, the Terps are 63rd in true shooting percentage (TS%), which accounts for free throws, and the Huskies are 208th in TS%.
Furthermore, Maryland figures to win the free-throw battle. UConn is 292nd in defensive FTA/FG rate and 203rd in offensive FTA/FG rate while the Terps are ranked 117th and 51st in offensive and defensive FTA/FG percentages.
Finally, according to Pregame.com, the market has steamed UConn up to laying 3.5 points after opening as a 2-point favorite. It’s generally more profitable to fade this one-sided of a market than follow it.
BET MARYLAND +3.5 (-110) 1 unit.
Over/Under (O/U)
Both teams play at a slow tempo, are much more efficient on defense and Maryland, in particular, has a lot of perimeter length, which will give UConn’s poor shooting offense a lot of trouble.
BET UNDER 128.5 (-105) for a half-unit.
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