Maryland vs. Ohio State Odds
| Maryland Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+9 -110 | 140 -110o / -110u | N/A |
| Ohio State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-9 -110 | 140 -110o / -110u | N/A |
After COVID-19 pauses and cancellations, the Ohio State Buckeyes will finally play their fourth conference home game on Sunday against the Maryland Terrapins.
Ohio State has not played a conference opponent at home in nearly three weeks, and while they are undefeated on their own court, they've played there just nine times this season.
The Buckeyes are coming off a road loss to Purdue last Sunday where they fell 81-78. Pauses have been abundant for this Ohio State team, having breaks of 22, 9, and now a 7-day hiatus. They have been resilient though, posting a 13-5 record and 6-3 mark in conference.
Maryland meanwhile is 11-11 on the year and just 3-8 in the Big Ten. The Terrapins hit the road after consecutive losses to Indiana and Michigan State at home. And while their record may not reflect it, Maryland hasn't been that bad this year; the Big Ten is just a tough tough conference.
They are 2-2 against ranked opponents, and both losses have come by a combined three points, losing to Wisconsin by just one and Michigan State by only two.
The Terrapins have not won in Columbus since January 2019. Can they be the first team to beat Ohio State at home this season?
Maryland Playing Well Against Good Teams
The Maryland offense is averaging 69.8 points per game, and has made a point of being one of the better teams in rebounding, currently ranked 75th they pull down 36.9 per game.
Maryland leads the Big Ten in free throws made and is second in free throws attempts, hitting at 75.3% to rank fourth in the Big Ten. Fatts Russell and Eric Ayala lead the team and both rank inside the top-10 in the Big Ten in free throws attempted.
The Terrapins haven't been great hitting threes at just 31.6% they rank 272nd nationally and are 218th in two-point shooting percentage, making only 48.7%. But Maryland has stepped up in big games, as I mentioned earlier — 2-2 in Quad 1 games and both losses coming by a combined three points. This team is full of players who have been there before and know how to step up in big games, such as;
- Qudus Wahab: 2021 Big East Tournament (Georgetown)
- Eric Ayala: 2020 Big Ten Regular Season (Maryland)
- Donta Scott: 2020 Big Ten Regular Season (Maryland)
- Hakim Hart: 2020 Big Ten Regular Season (Maryland)
- Xavier Green: 2019 Conference USA Tournament (Old Dominion); Tournament MVP
- Fatts Russell: 2018 Atlantic 10 Regular Season (Rhode Island)
On defense Maryland is holding teams to just 68,8 points per game, but that's just 11th in the Big Ten, and against the fifth highest scoring team in the conference they will need to make some strides.
Ohio State Coming Off Another COVID-19 Pause
Ohio State is racking up 75.3 points per game and has been the second best shooting team in the Big Ten, hitting field goals at 48%. The Buckeyes are led by EJ Liddell, who is posting 19.7 points per game and also leads the team with 7.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per contest.
Liddell is the only player in the country averaging at least 19.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.5 bpg and 2.5 apg. He has also scored in double figures every game this season and recorded eight 20-point games.
The Buckeyes struggled with turnovers earlier in the year, averaging 13 a game through the first 14 contests. But over the last four, Ohio State has given up an average of just 7.3 per contest.
Defensively Ohio State ranks eighth in the Big Ten and has held opponents to just 68 points per game. And while they haven't been great at creating turnovers, they are a force around the rim. The Buckeyes are 35th nationally in block percentage at 13.1%, an area in which they can cause some havoc for the Terrapins, who are getting blocked on 10% of attempts.
Maryland vs. Ohio State Betting Pick
The Buckeyes are a great team, and have been amazing at home. But Maryland has proved their ability step up on the road, specifically against some of the strongest teams.
Nine points is too many in this contest for me, I would back the Terrapins down to 7.5 points.
