The Maryland Terrapins (11-14, 3-11 Big Ten) battle the Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-18, 1-13 Big Ten) Friday night in a clash between two teams that sit at the bottom of the Big Ten Conference standings. Neither team has been particularly effective lately, with the Terrapins dropping their last five games and the Cornhuskers picking up just one win since the calendar turned to 2022.
Friday’s tipoff is at 9 p.m. EST inside Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, NE. Maryland is a 2.5-point road favorite, and the over-under total is at 145.5 points.
What to Know – Maryland Terrapins
Maryland is suffering the longest losing streak in the Big Ten and is desperate for a victory Friday night. The Terrapins got off to a hot start this season with a 5-1 mark, but a surprising resignation by head coach Mark Turgeon has seen the Terrapins win just six games since.
The Terrapins rank near the bottom of the conference in both scoring and defense. On offense, Maryland scores 69.8 points per game behind 42.6% shooting from the floor and 31.6% shooting from beyond the arc.
Maryland’s defense limits opponents to 68.8 points per game, 41.5% shooting from the field, and 33.2% shooting from deep.
With the ball in Maryland’s possession as the time ran down, the Terrapins had a chance to knock off Purdue Sunday afternoon. That shot attempt was blocked, and the Boilermakers escaped with a narrow 62-61 home victory. Fatts Russell led all scorers with 24 points, adding nine rebounds and six assists for Maryland.
Maryland is 10-15 against the spread and 4-3 ATS on the road. The Terrapins own a 2-6 mark ATS over their previous eight games against the Cornhuskers.
What to Know – Nebraska Cornhuskers
The season hasn’t been friendly to the Cornhuskers, with only seven wins this season and one since conference play began. Nebraska picked up its first victory, 78-65 over Minnesota, since December 22nd last week.
Nebraska’s offense sits in the middle of the conference pack while its scoring defense is at the bottom of the league. The Cornhuskers’ offense averages 72.6 points per game, connecting on 43.4% of their shots from the field and 30.7% of their attempts from the 3-point line. Defensively, Nebraska surrenders 78.9 points per game, 44.2% shooting from the floor, and 35.3% shooting from three.
Nebraska was no match last week against the Hawkeyes, falling 98-75 in the battle of neighboring states. Nebraska surrendered 53 points in the first half and allowed the Hawkeyes to shoot over 50% from the floor. Three Cornhuskers scored in double figures, led by Derrick Walker with 14 points.
The Cornhuskers enter the weekend with a 13-12 record ATS and a 10-7 mark ATS at home. Nebraska is 5-2 ATS over their last seven games.
The Pick is In
Two teams at the bottom of conference play with little to fight for is always hard to gauge if both teams will come out ready to play. Maryland is the better team, and even though they lost to Purdue, they should have some confidence heading into Friday’s clash.
Nebraska plays its best ball at home and should give the Terrapins a challenge early on, but the Cornhusker shortcomings on defense emerge, and Maryland departs Lincoln with the conference victory.
Betting Pick: Maryland Terrapins -2.5
