College basketball betting players are always on the hunt for the upset, especially when the NCAA Tournament rolls around. Friday night’s matchup between Maryland and Houston could be one of those games, as the Cougars’ high-octane offense will face off against a Maryland team that is good defensively, but will the Terrapins be sucked into a track meet?
Houston vs Maryland odds – Friday, March 19, 9:40 PM ET
The Cougars lost four of their last six regular-season games, then caught fire to win the Conference USA tournament to earn their first ticket to the dance since 1992. Aubrey Coleman led the nation in scoring, and the senior forward can seemingly score from anywhere on the floor. The rest of the Cougars just set up behind the three-point line and bomb away when Coleman has the ball. Houston is second in the country in turnovers and eighth in steals, and they try to get out in transition as much as possible. However, the Cougars aren’t that great on the boards, and rank no higher than 300th in the country in points allowed and field-goal defense.
The fourth-seeded Terrapins were upset by Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament, but in Greivis Vazquez, Maryland has one of the players in the Tournament in which you would pay a hefty price per head to watch. Vazquez has to be the favorite for the ACC Player of the Year after dominating the Maryland offense, he can finish at the rim as well as anyone in the country, and he can distribute as well. The Terrapins also shoot a high percentage from beyond the arc, although they don’t shoot that many. Maryland is 13th in the NCAA in field-goal defense, but they can sometimes get into an up-and-down affair.
Sportsbook odds (5dimes reviews) have the Terrapins as a 9.5-point favorite in this contest, and this will be the first meeting between these two programs. Maryland is 6-3 this year when they have been favored by more than eight points, and the rest may have been good for them as they expended a lot of energy to share the regular-season title with Duke. The Cougars will be all over the Terrapins to try and create some turnovers so they can get out and run, but the Terrapins are good at taking care of the ball. The matchup between Coleman and Vazquez could be the best of the first round, but the Terrapins have more players that can make a difference. The Terrapins should also have their way on the boards, which is another way to slow down Houston’s run-and-gun attack. But this won’t be easy, and while the Terrapins will take the win, Houston’s momentum will keep this closer than it needs to be.
March Madness sportsbook pick: Houston +9.5
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