Check out our NCAA Basketball pick for the opening round game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Thursday afternoon. Where are we laying our money in this ACC Tournament showdown?
Currently, NCAA Basketball odds list Maryland as the 4 point favorite and a total of 137. However, some NCAA basketball betting shops are now offering the total at 3.5, and that is exactally where I plan on going with my NCAA Basketball picks. Lets discuss why Maryland will pull off the win and the cover in this matchup.
Maryland ended their regular season on a sour note, losing three straight and four of their last five. The latest was the most heartbreaking, as they fell by three points in overtime to Virginia. Though the Terrapins did cover as 4.5-point dogs, they had no answer at all for Mike Scott, who tore it up for 35 points and 11 rebounds.
Maryland got some solid individual efforts too, with Terrell
Stoglin going for a team-high 25 points and Sean Mosley (17 points and 10
rebounds) also coming up big.
Terrapins the opening round favorites
On Thursday the Terrapins face off against Wake Forest in
the first round of the ACC tournament. The game will be played at Philips Arena
in Atlanta, Georgia.
For the Demon Deacons, the whole season could be considered
one giant sour note. They went 2-9 SU over their last 11 games, finishing
things off with a 62-69 defeat at the hands of Georgia Tech.
Travis McKie, C.J. Harris and Nikita Mescheriakov scored in
double figures for Wake in a game that they were always competitive in but
could not take control of.
So now the conference tournament begins and we find these
two ACC underachievers battling it out in the first round. Oddsmakers have the
Terrapins favored by 3.5 points and had set a total of 136 at time of writing.
Maryland won the regular season meeting, beating Wake Forest
70-64 at home. The Terrapins held on for the 'W' despite shooting only 35.0
percent from the floor.
Wake big man Ty Walker had eight points, nine boards and an
amazing eight blocks in the loss, but has since been suspended for a violation
of athletic department rules. The seven footer wasn't playing his best leading
up to the suspension, but it's safe to say Maryland will be happy not to have
to deal with his presence in the post.
Stoglin with a point to prove
Big-time players love big-time games and with Stoglin, the
ACC's leading scorer, patrolling the court for Maryland, the Demon Deacons
could be in some trouble in the opening round.
Stoglin averaged 21.2 points per game during the season but
publicly stated how disappointed he was not to be selected to the ACC first
team. Instead he's apart of the second team and I believe he'll come out on a
mission this Thursday to prove why he deserved better.
But no, I'm not taking the Terrapins because they'll have
the best player out there.
I like Maryland here because of the fight they showed
against a strong Virginia team this past weekend. They could have easily folded
after going down by nine at half, but the Terrapins clawed their way back and
made the Cavaliers use every last drop of sweat they had to pull off the win.
Coach Mark Turgeon surely reminded his team to bring a
similar kind of effort and desire in the tournament. I'm hoping that translates
into a great opening round performance from Stoglin and the Terrapins.
FREE Pick: Maryland Terrapins -3.5
TREND BREAKDOWN
UNDER is 7-2 in last 9 head-to-head meetings
Terrapins are 4-0-1 ATS in last 5 head-to-head meetings