The Syracuse Orange take on the Maryland Terrapins in Brooklyn, NY. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Maryland is favored by 13 points on the spread with a moneyline of -900. The total is set at 155 points.
Here are my Syracuse vs. Maryland predictions and college basketball picks for December 21, 2024.
Syracuse vs Maryland Prediction
My Pick: Maryland -12.5 (Play to -14)
My Syracuse vs Maryland best bet is on the Terps spread, with the best odds currently available at FanDuel. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Syracuse vs Maryland Odds, Spread, Pick
| Syracuse Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+13 -110 | 155 -110 / -110 | +600 |
| Maryland Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-13 -110 | 155 -110 / -110 | -900 |
- Syracuse vs Maryland spread: Maryland -13
- Syracuse vs Maryland over/under: 155 points
- Syracuse vs Maryland moneyline: Maryland -900, Syracuse +600
- Syracuse vs Maryland best bet: Maryland -12.5 (Play to -14)
My Syracuse vs Maryland College Basketball Betting Preview
While the sports world watches the College Football Playoff, Maryland and Syracuse meet in Brooklyn at high noon (ET) in the Gotham Classic.
The Terps have flown under the radar this season, sneakily ranking as KenPom’s second-best Big Ten team after soaring 22 spots up the site’s rankings since opening day.
Syracuse has been in free fall, losing all five of its games against top 100 competition and dropping 37 spots from its preseason mark.
To Cuse’s credit, it has shown it can step up in big games – in fact it’s done it in this very venue. Last month at the Barclays Center, the Orange gave Texas and Texas Tech everything they could handle before losing each by two possessions despite double-digit spreads.
Of course, the Orange had star guard J.J. Starling in the fold for those contests.
The Orange have had decent efforts without Starling, but they haven’t been enough to put tallies in the win column. Starling has the best on/off net rating on the team by a fair margin (CBB Analytics), and the Orange are 1-3 (2-2 ATS) without him in the lineup.
Offensively, Syracuse needs to get in the paint to score. The Orange have scored the third-lowest percentage of points from 3-point land in the country, relying almost entirely on dribble penetration, post-ups and basket cuts to produce offense. This team just doesn’t have any shooters.
Only four guys have attempted over 20 3s this season – one is hurt and the other three are all sub-33%. The Terps can stay home and defend the paint, something they have done well at this season with the duo Derik Queen and Julian Reese.
Cuse’s ball-handling has been elite this season, so it won’t give away possessions, but it’s difficult to see how it scores efficiently against Maryland’s interior.
Maryland is far more versatile offensively. Kevin Willard has ditched his usual half-court-focused style for an up-tempo attack that looks to push in the open floor. This is his fastest offensive team in his 18-year head coaching tenure, and the Terps rank 14th nationally in adjusted offensive possession length.
Syracuse hasn’t defended transition well this season, but at least its ball-handling and lack of sell-out glass crash could help in preventing Maryland from running roughshod.
The Terps’ half-court attack has been tough to stop this season. With Queen and Reese as high-usage post and rebounding threats, Cuse needs to stay home in the paint. But Willard also found shooting in the portal this offseason, bringing in Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Selton Miguel and Rodney Rice – all of whom are torching the nets from distance.
It’s a pick your poison scenario – extend on the perimeter and defend Queen one-on-one on the block, or dig down on the block and risk clean kick-out looks.
To date, Syracuse hasn’t done well defensively. The Orange rank just 165th overall in adjusted defensive efficiency, 316th in 2-point field goal percentage allowed and 345th in turnover rate (KenPom).
They don’t put pressure on the perimeter, and they don’t get stops inside. Opponents are shooting 70% at the rim against them this season (CBB Analytics).
The fact that Syracuse has played on this floor twice this season is not insignificant, but it’s nothing the Terps can’t overcome. Without Starling, Maryland just has the better personnel at every spot on the floor.
The Terps should extend and take this one by doubles as they head into the holiday week.
