NCAA Basketball Odds: Maryland vs Michigan State Picks

If Maryland loses as expected to Michigan State in Big Ten Tournament action on Thursday, the next time the Terps take the court they will have a new head coach. The Spartans are short favorites on the NCAAB odds.

How to Bet Maryland vs. Michigan State NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

When: Thursday, 6:30 PM ET
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: Big Ten Plus
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAB Lines: Michigan State (total 139.5)

Season Series

The Spartans won both meetings. They played in the regular-season finale in East Lansing on Sunday, and the final score was 77-67. Maryland outscored the Spartans 32-15 in the first 12 1/2 minutes of the second half, cutting their 20-point halftime deficit to 61-58. MSU’s Gabe Brown stepped up with a personal 7-0 run and Michigan State led 75-62 with two minutes to go. With his 663rd win at Michigan State, Tom Izzo passed Indiana’s Bob Knight for the most wins at a Big Ten school. Knight remains the leader in conference wins, with 353 to second-place Izzo’s 322.

Why Bet on Maryland?

Back in December, Maryland and Coach Mark Turgeon parted ways. Turgeon had been in charge of the Terrapins since 2011, and he signed a three-year contract extension in April that was expected to keep him in College Park until 2026. Thus, unless the Terps somehow win the Big Ten Tournament and reach the NCAA Tournament, they will have a new head coach for their next game that counts to open the 2022-23 season.

Southern Cal’s Andy Enfield had been considered a top candidate but signed an extension with USC on Wednesday that links him to the school through the 2027-28 season. Enfield earned his master’s degree from Maryland. Terps athletic director and the Parker Search Firm have been quietly evaluating options for months.

Maryland (15-16) guards Fatts Russell and Eric Ayala were both named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten. Russell currently leads the Terrapins in points (14.9/g), assists (3.6/g) and free throws made (112). He was even more impressive in conference action, averaging 16.3 points/g, including 20.9 points/g over the last eight games of the regular season. Russell ranks fifth in the Big Ten in free throw pct. (.789) and eighth in both free throws made (112) and attempted (142).

Ayala is second on the Terps with 14.6 points/g and leads the Terps with 72 3-pointers on the season. His 72 makes from beyond the arc are the seventh-most in Maryland single-season history, while his 221 career 3-pointers rank third in program history.

Maryland is currently first in the Big Ten in both free throws made (456) and free throw percentage (.760), while ranking third in free throws attempted (600). The Terps are 11-2 this season when junior Hakim Hart has at least two steals in a game. He is currently fourth in the conference with 1.52 steals/g.

The Terrapins are 13-5 when making more free throws than their opponent. They are 13-1 when leading with 5:00 minutes to play, with its lone loss of the season coming at No. 3 Purdue. The Terrapins are 10-4 when outrebounding their opponent.

This marks the second consecutive season Maryland and Michigan State will meet in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, as the Terrapins defeated the Spartans, 68-57, last year.

Why Bet on Michigan State?

The Spartans (20-11) should make the NCAA Tournament even with a loss but won’t get a great seed. Senior forward Gabe Brown was selected to the All-Big Ten Conference Third Team, while junior forward Malik Hall was an honorable mention selection and guard Max Christie was selected to the All-Freshman team.

Brown was the only player to start all 31 games this year for the Spartans and leads the team in scoring with 11.5 points per game, while adding 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He has connected on a team-high 61 3-pointers and leads the team in free throw percentage, connecting on 91.8 percent of his shots (56-of-61). He ranks 11th in the Big Ten in 3-point field goals made per game (1.97).

Hall is second on the team in scoring with 9.6 points per game and third on the team with 4.7 rebounds. Christie, who started 30 of 30 games played, finished the regular season third on the team in scoring with 9.3 points per game, while adding 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

The Spartans rank eighth in the Big Ten in scoring offense (72.1 ppg) and are sixth in the league in scoring defense (68.3 ppg). In Big Ten games only, MSU is fourth in the league in field goal percentage (45.3%) and sixth in field goal percentage defense (43.4%).

The Spartans are looking to capture their seventh Big Ten Tournament championship, as they are the only Big Ten team with six tournament titles. In 23 previous years of the Big Ten Tournament, MSU has a record of 32-17.

Michigan State leads the all-time series with Maryland, 12-8. Tom Izzo is 11-8 in his career against Maryland. MSU is 4-3 against Maryland on a neutral floor.