NCAAB Wednesday January 25th Wisconsin at Maryland Betting Preview
Terps Solid at Home in Conference Play
The Terrapins go for a regular season split on Wednesday in the Wisconsin at Maryland betting matchup. UW started conference play with a 64-59 win over Maryland in Madison on December 6th to cover the -2.5 point spread, handing the then #13 Terrapins their first loss of the season.
Both Wisconsin (12-6) and Maryland (12-7) have spent time in the Top 25 this year, with the Badgers getting up to #14 before a 79-69 loss at Illinois has sent them to four defeats in the last five games. The Terrapins are a -5 point favorite for the rematch with 56% of the public giving the points.
Why Wisconsin Can Cover +5 Points
The Badgers are just one of those scrappy teams that can win any game in the Big Ten but it’s also not a complete surprise when they lose any game either. Wisconsin isn’t playing as well lately, but this is still a team that has beaten USC and #16 Marquette this season and held their own before a 69-68 loss to #9 Kansas.
Maybe UW won’t win the Wisconsin at Maryland betting matchup outright, but this is a team that usually keeps games close whether they come out on top or not. The Badgers lost by 3 at Northwestern on Monday and have lost by 4 to Michigan State this season while also beating Penn State, Minnesota, and Iowa all by 3 points in this year.
Wednesday’s game will be the third contest back for the Badgers’ Tyler Wahl who missed some time with a sprained right ankle. He’s only averaged 10.5 points and 5 rebounds since his return, but both the win over Penn State (63-60) and the loss at Northwestern (66-63) were close and Wisconsin is definitely a better team with him in the lineup. The Badgers have also won and covered in three straight meetings with Maryland.
Why Maryland Can Cover -5 Points
The Terrapins motto this season in conference play has been location, location, location as they have won all three of their home games but dropped all five on the road. Overall Maryland is 9-1 at the Xfinity Center this season and have covered the number in 12 of their last 15 at home dating back to last season.
Maryland is coming off a loss, but they hung tight with the nation’s new #1 team losing 58-55 at Purdue on Sunday as +9 point underdogs. The Terrapins simply had no answer for 7’4″ Zach Edey who dominated with 24 points and 16 rebounds while nobody else on the Boilermakers had more than 8 points. Wisconsin has a 7-footer in Steven Crowl, but he’s nowhere near the presence that Edey (21.5 points, 13.2 rebounds) is.
Wisconsin and Maryland rank #4/#5 respectively in Big Ten scoring defense, but the Terrapins have the better offense (70.3) as the Badgers are just 111th in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency. Maryland’s Jahmir Young led all scorers in the first meeting with 17 points.
Free Wisconsin at Maryland Betting Pick
The Badgers have shown a nice tendency to keep games close, but they were also recently routed by 18 at Indiana – although that was without Wahl. The Terrapins would love to kick off their three game home stretch with a win, as Nebraska and then Indiana are looming on the schedule.
The Terrapins likely get this outright win, but it’s not a lock by any means and these two teams generally play each other very tight with 8 of the last 9 being decided by six points or less. Have to take the points in that situation.
Free Pick: Wisconsin +5
