Tuesday’s College Basketball Betting Previews: Purdue-Maryland, St. Bonaventure-Saint Joseph’s
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports. Pictured: Purdue G Carsen Edwards (3), Maryland G Anthony Cowan Jr. (1)
We're 33 days away from Selection Sunday. The NCAA Tournament selection committee even gave us a taste of how the top 16 seeds could be formatted come March Madness. And the action is beginning to simmer as a result, with 12 ranked teams taking the court on Tuesday.
Among them are No. 12 Purdue, which travels to No. 24 Maryland, while unranked St. Bonaventure faces Saint Joseph's in an A-10 showdown.
What are the best plays in these two matchups? Let's break them down.
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Betting Odds: Purdue Boilermakers at Maryland Terrapins
- Spread: Pick'em
- Over/Under: 145
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- TV: Big Ten Network
The Boilermakers (14-9 against the spread) have covered in seven of their past eight games while winning all of them outright. Other than an overtime victory at Penn State, Matt Painter's crew hasn't faced much adversity over this stretch.
Enter the Terrapins (13-10-1 ATS), who have failed to cover in three of their past five affairs. Nevertheless, Maryland is one of the more under-appreciated Big Ten teams, and it'll have a clear-cut size advantage on Purdue in this one.
Painter's squad has amassed the third-lowest defensive rebounding rate (31.5%) in conference play while the Terps own the third-highest offensive rebounding percentage (32.5%). In the teams' last matchup on Dec. 6 — which resulted in a Maryland cover (+8.5) despite a two-point loss — the Terps tallied 13 offensive rebounds while the Boilermakers amassed 18 defensive boards.
If the Boilermakers decide to trap the 6-foot-10 Bruno Fernando this time around, they've still yielded the highest perimeter scoring rate (36.7%) in league play. With the Terrapins generating the highest 3-point clip (39.7%) in conference games, expect the Boilermakers to struggle matching up against an inside-out attack.
During their latest affair, Mark Turgeon's unit held a six-point lead early on in the second half, but it struggled when Purdue put the 6-foot-6 Nojel Eastern on point guard Anthony Cowan, forcing another Terp to spark its offense. Maryland two-guard Eric Ayala, who has evolved into a secondary ball handler, should be able to handle those duties in the rematch.
At the other end, Maryland's wings were able to slow down the electrifying Carsen Edwards (24.6 points per game) on the dribble drive and from behind the arc. This one has revenge game written all over it, so expect the Terps to make him uncomfortable once again.
THE PICK: Maryland PK
Betting Odds: St. Bonaventure Bonnies at Saint Joseph's Hawks
- Spread: Saint Joseph's -1
- Over/Under: 134
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- TV: CBS Sports Network
The Bonnies (9-12-2 ATS) have covered in three of their past five affairs while the Hawks (8-15-1 ATS) halted a four-game cover-less streak on Friday with an outright win over Saint Louis on Friday.
St. Bonaventure crushed Saint Joseph's by 26 points as an 1.5-point favorite on Jan. 9. That loss was amid a four-game outright skid for the Hawks, but they've begun turning their season around with their 30-point squashing of the Billikens.
Not only is this affair a sound revenge spot for St. Joe's, but its perimeter-oriented offense owns an advantage against a team allowing the fourth-highest scoring rate (34.1%) from behind the arc in A-10 play.
The Hawks have manufactured a 39.0% 3-point clip in their past three games, too, led by their leading-scorer Charlie Brown Jr. (38.5%). Despite lacking guard Lamarr Kimble (hand) and forward Pierfrancesco Oliva (knee), St. Joe's has found another gear offensively within its shortened rotation.
At the other end, the Bonnies have produced the 30th-highest 2-point scoring rate (55.4%) in the nation, as 30.0% of their offense runs through the 6-foot-5 Courtney Stockard (15.8 ppg). The Hawks let up the 45th-lowest scoring percentage (45.0%) in that department, though. Expect that side of the floor to be shored up after getting blitzed (68.6%) in the first meeting.
According to our Bet Labs data, the Hawks are 1-3 (25.0%) ATS as a favorite against A-10 opponents this season. But expect them to begin to reverse that trend in Philadelphia, as the Bonnies are 3-8-1 (25.0%) ATS in their past 12 road games.
THE PICK: St. Joe's -1
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