Maryland vs South Dakota State March Madness R64 Betting Guide

Posted by Henry Watkins on Thursday,March 17, 2016 12:42, EDT in

One of the best things about wagering on the NCAAB Tournament is being able to spot the games that might very well end up with the upset. When you consider that a large number of the 64 teams in the tournament really have limited expectations, and therefore nothing to lose, you end up with every game having an upset alert bell ringing. Some are a lot more likely than others, but one that really jumps off the bracket on Friday is the South Region game between the Maryland Terrapins and the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. Maryland are the #5 seed in the region, while the Jackrabbits are #12, but the gap between these two is not as large as the seeds may suggest. This is one that should definitely be on your radar, if only for the Jackrabbits to cover the spread. You can get all the March Madness Odds action here at MyBookie.ag.

How To Bet The Maryland Vs South Dakota State March Madness Odds, TV & Game Info

What: South Dakota State Jackrabbits (26-7) at Maryland Terrapins (25-8)
When: Friday, March 18, 2016
Start Time: 4:30 PM ET
Where: Spokane, Washington State
Stadium: Spokane Arena
Spread: Maryland -8.5
Moneyline: Maryland -500
Game Total: 144
Watch: TBS
Stream: TBS Sports
Radio: Maryland

Why bet on the Maryland Terrapins

Maryland (25-8, 12-6) came into the season with some very large expectations placed upon them, and it’s fair to say that they have failed to live up to them. They started out the regular season well enough, but they stumbled in the final few weeks of the season, losing 5 of their last 8 games. This is a very young team, so it shouldn’t really come as a major surprise that there may be some missteps along the way. The hope in Maryland is that those losses are all out of the way now, and that the Terrapins can get on a roll in the Tournament. This is a tricky opening round game for them, but one that could end up serving as a big confidence builder. Maryland are averaging 76.1 PPG, and are giving up 66.3 PPG.

Why bet on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits

The Jackrabbits (26-7, 12-4) come into this one after walking away with the Summit Valley Conference title, and they are most certainly a team that no-one really wanted to face in the opening round. This is a team that has a good combination of speed and power, and which can definitely cause problems in the paint. They spread out their scoring very well, and could cause the Terrapins some real problems, especially if they can jump out to an early lead. South Dakota State did not play a ranked team all year long, so this may well be the best team they have faced so far. The Jackrabbits are averaging 76.3 PPG, and are giving up 67.8.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

The big question in this one is all about where the confidence level is at for Maryland right now. They need a fast start to calm the nerves and get rolling. Not sure that happens, though, and I think the Terrapins are on for a fight from start to finish, but I also think they will squeeze through by the slimmest of margins.

Maryland Terrapins 73 South Dakota State Jackrabbits 72