Maryland vs. Nebraska Basketball Pick
Two reeling Big Ten teams clash when the Maryland Terrapins visit the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Friday night.
Here’s a complete preview, including betting odds and free NCAA Basketball picks.
Maryland Terrapins vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Friday, February 18, 2022 – 09:00 PM EST at Pinnacle Bank Arena
Someone Has to Win This Game
Maryland opened at -1.5 at BetOnline and they set the total at 145.5 in their NCAA Basketball odds board. Should we back the home catching points or hammer this relatively low total?Maryland (11-14 SU, 10-15 ATS) has lost 10 of their last 13 games, including their last five contests but they put up a fight on Sunday’s heartbreaking 62-61 road loss against Purdue, covering as 17-point road underdogs. Maryland blew a 48-36 lead with 11 minutes remaining.
Purdue forward Trevion Williams rejected a layup try by Donta Scott in the final seconds and then Jaden Ivey hit a go-ahead three-point play to held off Maryland. “I thought we deserved to win, in the clip I saw from one of our guys on the staff, I thought Donta got fouled,” Maryland interim head coach Danny Manning said after the game.
Fatts Russell led the way for Maryland with 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists on 9 of 17 shooting and Scott added 11 points, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks in the loss. Maryland played without their leading scorer Eric Ayala (15.1 points per game), who was out with a wrist injury and they will need Russell and Scott to have big games once again if they want to beat Nebraska.
Losers of 17 of their last 19 games, including 11 of their last 12, Nebraska (11-14 SU, 11-13-1 ATS) are just 1-13 in conference play and they were crushed 98-75 at Iowa last Sunday. Nebraska was outplayed at both ends of the court and they were just 7-for-25 (28.0 percent) from beyond the arc. Derrick Walker had 14 points and six rebounds in the loss, Bryce McGowens finished with 11 points and Eduardo Andre added 10 points in 12 minutes off the bench.
Prediction
“We did some things well enough to give us a chance to win,” Maryland interim head coach Danny Manning said. “I loved the effort and moxie. We didn’t get the outcome we wanted, but that effort and moxie gave us the chance to compete with one of the better teams in the country.”
Monitor Eric Ayala’s status for this game. His impact is undeniable but Maryland will not take risks with their star. “We’ll get some tests run and make sure we can give him peace of mind with the medical evaluation, and we’ll go from there,” Manning said about Ayala’s status moving forward.
I’m looking at the Over in this game. These are not good teams, which explains why the best sportsbooks set a low total and while Ayala’s potential absence hurts, the total has gone Over in two of Maryland’s last three games and in three of Nebraska’s last four games. Nebraska missed 18 3-pointers against Iowa and still scored 75 points to help that game go Over the total. Maryland ranks 257th in the nation, allowing opponents to make 35.1 percent of their shots from beyond the arc and Nebraska can’t shoot worse than they did against Iowa.
NCAA Basketball Pick: Over 145.5 (-110) at BetOnline (visit BMR’s BetOnline Review)