College Basketball Free Pick 1/22/2018

Oddsmakers have made Maryland -1 favorites for the 1/22 college basketball free pick at Indiana. This can be somewhat of a surprising line considering the Terrapins are just 1-4 on the road this season. At the same time, the Hoosiers have been tough at the Assembly Hall going 9-3 on the year. Is Maryland simply the better team and their road record should be ignored – or does Indiana prove that in 49 states it’s just basketball, but in one it’s life.

Maryland takes on Indiana tonight. This matchup always reminds me of the worst NCAA Championship game ever. (UConn-Butler was brutal as well.)

— Chris Dachille (@WBALDash) January 22, 2018

Terrapins “Quality” Road Losses

Sure Maryland is 1-4 on the road to start the 2017/18 campaign but those defeats came at Michigan State (61-91), Ohio State (69-91), and Michigan (67-68). Those are three quality teams and three tough places to play – not to mention the Terrapins were underdogs in each game. Maryland also lost at Syracuse (70-72) late in November while their only win came in a 92-91 OT thriller at Illinois.

The Terrapins have hit a bit of a rough spot, dropping three of five after a seven game winning streak. This is simply a different team on the road – or at least has been so far. The Terrapins have allowed 90+ points in two of their last three road contests but have held opponents under 70 in six of the last seven at home. That inconsistency is apparent in the Maryland offense too. The Terrapins have scored over 70 in just one of their road games this year. Can Maryland put the woes behind them in the 1/22 college basketball free pick?

What to Expect From the Hoosiers Monday Night

Indiana is 9-3 at home this year but they are highly unpredictable on their own court. One of the three losses came against Duke, which was expected as +8.5 underdogs. The other two defeats both occured when the Hoosiers were -13.5 favorites; a season opening 69-90 loss to Indiana State and a 72-92 beatdown by IUPUI- Fort Wayne a little over a month ago. Since that loss however, the Hoosiers have won four straight home contests including conference wins over Northwestern and Penn State.

There are some trends in Indiana’s favor for the 1/22 college basketball free pick though. For example, Indiana has gone 4-0 ATS their last four home games and are 5-1 ATS their last six home games vs a team with a losing road record. The Hoosiers are 5-2 ATS their last seven overall and the home team is 4-1 ATS the last five meetings between these two.

1/22 College Basketball Free Pick – Betting

Will Indiana be able to succeed tonight without Juwan Morgan on the floor? We break it down and preview Maryland on our IU basketball podcast. #iubb

LISTEN: https://t.co/9tsHLwJ8xy pic.twitter.com/QYOYhZsv6q

— The Hoosier Network (@TheHoosierNet) January 22, 2018

All things being equal the 1/22 college basketball free pick would be an easy one on Indiana defending their home court as slight ‘dogs. However, the Hoosiers are likely going to be without leading scorer Juwan Morgan in this contest as he is doubtful with an ankle injury. Morgan has been limited to 16 minutes in each of the last two games, but Indiana thrived without him in one of them beating Northwestern by 20. Robert Johnson is going to have to shoulder the load for the Hoosiers and he did so admirably with 21 points and 7 rebounds the last time out against the Spartans.

That being said, Maryland’s defense is just outside of the top 50 in points allowed per game and ranks 26th in opponents field goal percentage. 60% of bettors are on the Terrapins and tonight is the night they put their road woes to bed.

Pick: Maryland Terrapins -1