Maryland vs UCLA Odds
| Maryland Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -105 | 129.5 -115o / -105u | +150 |
| UCLA Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -115 | 129.5 -115o / -105u | -185 |
Maryland and UCLA have both disappointed college basketball fans in 2023-24.
The UCLA Bruins lost a majority of their team from last year and haven't gotten on track.
Maryland returned four starters from an NCAA tournament team from last season, so Maryland’s struggles surprise me more than UCLA’s, given the drastic roster change in Hollywood.
Maryland Terrapins
Maryland’s defense is even better than UCLA's and the Terps are much worse offensively. Maryland is an awful 3-point shooting teams (26%) but yet it attempts 3s on 40% of its offensive possessions.
Freshman guard DeShawn Harris-Smith is an integral part of Maryland’s offensive turnaround. People assumed Harris-Smith could step in and turn into an elite offensive player right away. While he’s struggling right now, freshman always improve as the season goes on.
When all else fails, Jahmir Young is the saving grace of Maryland’s offense. Kevin Willard’s experienced point guard averages 17.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Even if his shots aren’t falling, he’s terrific at generating looks for teammates.
One of his teammates — Donta Scott — finally found his footing against Nicholls State this week. The 6-foot-8 senior scored 16 points after five consecutive single-digit outputs. He'll need his strong scoring to continue if Maryland wants to turn its offense around.
UCLA Bruins
UCLA is coming off a stunning loss to Cal State Northridge. The Bruins never found their footing offensively, and the lack of offense puts intense pressure on the defense.
UCLA also hasn’t scored more than 72 points in the past three games against Villanova, Ohio State and CSUN. UCLA’s top scoring total on the year is 78 points, which came against Long Island in the season’s third game.
Mick Cronin’s entire offseason plan of "hoping the international guys work out" isn’t going well. Instead of rapidly attacking the portal, UCLA hoped Aday Mara, Berke Buyuktuncel and Jan Vide could make seamless transitions to American basketball. It hasn’t happened yet.
The Bruins' offense runs through freshman Sebastian Mack, who’s averaging over 15 points per game. Mack is terrific at driving and drawing fouls. That’s where a majority of the Bruins' offense comes from.
Mack is one of the few bright spots on UCLA's roster, so getting him the ball early-and-often in this game is paramount.
While UCLA’s offense lags behind, its defense ranks 27th in Defensive Efficiency, according to KenPom. Sophomore center Adem Bona is the defensive stalwart, as he completely deters teams from attacking the basket. At least the Bruins have one thing going right for them.
Maryland vs. UCLA
Betting Pick & Prediction
While both teams have disappointed this season, I'm higher on Maryland's roster, given their experience and the fact they have a star in Young.
The Bruins are still trying to figure things out with a roster that's relying heavily on international prospects who're still attempting to adjust to a faster collegiate game. Mack is a bucket-getter, but I'm going with Maryland here to cover.
Pick: Maryland +4
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