NCAA Basketball Picks: Georgia Tech vs. Maryland

By: | www.sbrforum.com
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have cashed spread tickets as underdogs in their first two Atlantic Coast Conference duels, with the ‘over’ also going 2-0.  Brian Gregory’s squad gets points from the oddsmakers again in Sunday afternoon’s matchup against the Maryland Terrapins, who are 2-0-1 ATS in their last three contests.

Sportsbooks opened Maryland as a two-point home favorite, while first setting the ‘total’ at 134.5 on the NCAA basketball odds boards. ESPN3.com is slated to provide television coverage of the battle, with an early tip scheduled for 4 p.m. (ET). 

Lets take a deeper look at these numbers to determine which sports betting options have the greatest chance of cashing for us tonight. 


Terrapins hold off Wake Forest 

Terrell StoglinMaryland notched its eighth win in nine games with Wednesday’s 70-64 victory as a six-point home favorite against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The Terrapins got out to a 40-24 halftime lead, holding on for the triumph despite being held to 35 percent field shooting. 

Terrapins guard Terrell Stoglin logged a team-high 20 points off the bench, while adding two boards in 35 minutes of action. Stoglin’s mates Ashton Pankey and Alex Len recorded nine rebounds and three blocks, respectively, uniting to hit 6-of-11 free throws. 

The contest’s combined 134 points dipped below the NCAA basketball betting ‘total’ of 143.5, bringing the ‘under’ to 3-2 in the Terrapins’ last five games. Maryland allowed Wake Forest to connect 5-of-17 buckets from three-point land, while edging the Demon Deacons out in rebounds, 40-36. 

Yellow Jackets pull off road upset 

Georgia Tech ended a four-game losing streak in Wednesday’s 82-71 win as a 10-point road dog against the North Carolina State Wolfpack. The Yellow Jackets shot 51 percent from the field, including 9-of-15 beyond the arc. 

Yellow Jackets guard Glen Rice piled in a team-high 22 points, with the junior knocking down 5-of-5 free throws en route to logging two assists. Georgia Tech’s Kammeon Holsey logged a team-high eight rebounds, while mate Brandon Reed recorded a pair of the team’s five steals.

The battle’s combined 153 points leaped above the ‘total’ of 137, lifting the ‘over’ to 5-0 in the Yellow Jackets’ last five games. Georgia Tech outrebounded the Wolfpack, 28-26, while both squads united for 26 turnovers.

Back the ‘under’ at College Park 

I am placing my NCAA basketball pick in favor of the ‘under,’ looking for a tight duel as both rivals try to edge the other out. The ‘under’ is 4-1 in the last five meetings between these foes, dating back to 2009, with the teams combining in that span for 132.4 PPG. 

Both foes have boasted their share of stingy defense, with Maryland holding its visitors at home to 66.1 PPG and Georgia Tech allowing a sparse 60.2 PPG on the road. The ‘under’ is 6-1 in Georgia Tech’s last seven spots that followed a victory, while the same wager has cashed at 4-0 in Maryland’s last four home dates as a favorite of 6 ½ points or less.

The Terrapins and Yellow Jackets have not been threats beyond the arc, ranking 9th and 11th, respectively, among the ACC’s 12 squads with a combined 32.8 percent of triple’s drained. Free throws have also had the pair of rivals near the bottom of the conference’s heap, uniting to connect at 65.2 percent. 

Yellow Jackets sophomore Daniel Miller has ranked second in the ACC for blocks (2.8 BPG), which should give Stoglin and Co. a few tough looks at the hoop. 

Stoglin was held to 13 points in Maryland’s 74-63 win at Georgia Tech last January. The affair saw the Terrapins shoot 0-for-6 from three-point land, while the Yellow Jackets were held to 39.7 percent field shooting. 

Look for another intense fight in this spot, with a premium for points leading to ‘under’ tickets getting the money.

blog comments powered by Disqus