Michigan State was the preseason heavy favorite to win the Big Ten Conference, but it’s No. 9 Maryland atop the standings as the Terps visit East Lansing on Saturday. Sparty, which still can win the regular-season title, will be a short NCAAB favorite on the Mybookie odds. Let’s see how the College Basketball betting odds will be for the Maryland vs Michigan State.
Maryland vs Michigan State NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info
- When: Saturday, 6 PM ET
- Where: Breslin Center
- TV: ESPN
- Opening NCAAB Lines: TBA
Maryland vs Michigan State Season Series
First of two scheduled meetings. Last year, they played just once and the Spartans won 69-55 at home. Cassius Winston and Kenny Goins each scored 14 points while Matt McQuaid and Xavier Tillman had 10 points apiece for the Spartans. Maryland star Anthony Cowan had just seven points. The Terrapins connected on just 34.4 percent of their shots. Michigan State closed half with an 11-0 run to lead 31-20.
Why Bet on Maryland?
The Terps (20-4, 10-3 Big Ten) nearly were caught in a trap at home vs. a bad Nebraska team on Tuesday but escaped 72-70 for a seventh straight win. A blocked shot in the closing seconds by Jalen Smith proved to be the difference-maker for Maryland against a team that has now dropped nine in a row and stands 2-11 in the conference.
“We didn’t respect our opponent enough. I’ll take the blame for that,” Coach Mark Turgeon said. “We’ll learn from it.” Turgeon became the fifth coach in school history to reach the 200-victory plateau. He’s 200-96 since taking over for Hall of Fame coach Gary Williams before the 2011-12 season.
Smith had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Eric Ayala scored 16, Donta Scott had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Maryland, and Anthony Cowan Jr. totaled 13 points and 10 assists. It was the first time since 2001 that three Terps registered double-doubles in the same game.
Smith has recorded seven straight double-doubles and is averaging 19.2 points (55% FG), 12.0 rebounds and 3.2 blocks during that span. Smith, who leads the Big Ten with 15 double-doubles, is a top-10 candidate for the Karl Malone Award that goes to the nation’s top power forward. Cowan is just the second player in Maryland history to record 1,700 points and 520 assists, joining Greivis Vasquez.
Maryland is tied for the Big Ten lead with a combined 11 quad 1 and quad 2 victories. Only Kansas (15), Seton Hall (13), Baylor (13) and Butler (12) have more wins in the category. Maryland is 26-25 on the road since joining the Big Ten, including a 18-14 mark since 2016-17. The Terps have finished with a winning conference road record in 3 of 5 years since joining the Big Ten.
Why Bet on Michigan State?
MSU (17-8, 9-5 Big Ten) snapped a three-game skid with a 70-69 win at No. 22 Illinois on Tuesday. Xavier Tillman threw down a putback dunk with six seconds left for the win. Tillman grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed shot from Cassius Winston and slammed it home to give MSU the lead and Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu turned the ball over with three seconds left.
The Spartans led 37-20 at the half after starting the game in an 8-0 run. Illinois was flat the entire first half and shot only 26% from the field, while the Spartans shot 50%. MSU led by 20 early in the second half before Illinois went on a huge run. MSU held the Fighting Illini to 36.7 shooting from the floor for the game (22-of-60) and 27.8 percent from the beyond the arc.
Freshman guard Rocket Watts led four Spartans in double figures with a career-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting, while Tillman added 17 points, 12 rebounds and three assists and sophomore Aaron Henry finished with 13 points and three rebounds. Winston had 12 points and was hampered by some foul trouble.
It was Tillman’s 16th game with at least 10 rebounds and has led the team in rebounding in 23 games this season and 34 for his career. Winston has scored at least 10 points in 21 games this season and 94 for his career. He now has 1,851 career points and needs one point to pass Sam Vincent (1981-1985) for seventh place in school history.
Michigan State is 15-2 when scoring 70 or more points. The Spartans are 13-3 when holding their opponent under 70 points.
Maryland vs Michigan State Expert Prediction
Michigan State 69, Maryland 65
