The Rutgers Scarlet Knights take on the Maryland Terrapins in College Park, Maryland, on Sunday, March 1. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. ET on FS1.
Maryland is favored by 5.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -220. Rutgers, meanwhile, enters as a +5.5 underdog and is +185 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 141.5 total points.
Here’s my Rutgers vs. Maryland prediction and college basketball picks for Sunday, March 1.
Rutgers vs Maryland Prediction
My Pick: Under 141.5 (Play to 140)
My Rutgers vs Maryland best bet is on both teams to go under the total. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Rutgers vs Maryland Odds
| Rutgers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+5.5 -110 | 141.5 -110o / -110u | +185 |
| Maryland Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-5.5 -110 | 141.5 -110o / -110u | -220 |
- Rutgers vs Maryland Spread: Maryland -5.5, Rutgers +5.5
- Rutgers vs Maryland Over/Under: 141.5 Points
- Rutgers vs Maryland Moneyline: Rutgers +185, Maryland -220
Rutgers vs Maryland College Basketball Betting Preview
Rutgers Basketball
It’s been an unsurprisingly difficult season for Rutgers, now 11-17 overall and 4-13 in the Big Ten. For a roster with no continuity, there just isn’t enough talent to seriously compete in this league.
Considering Steve Pikiell’s track record of coaching some elite defenses just a few years back, that identity just hasn’t been there the last couple of seasons.
The Scarlet Knights are second-to-last in the league in defensive efficiency and rank 176th nationally, per KenPom.
Rutgers isn’t really good at anything on the defensive end of the floor. The biggest weakness has been guarding the 3-point line. Big Ten opponents have cashed in from deep at a 39% clip.
Things haven’t been much better offensively, although 14th in the Big Ten is significantly better than that defensive rank of 17th. The Knights are in the top third of the league in taking care of the basketball.
NJIT transfer guard Tariq Francis is a talented scorer who has had some big games this season and makes things happen off the bounce, but there’s really no easy button in this offense.
Rutgers simply struggles to generate good looks. That’s why the Scarlet Knights are dead last in the Big Ten in 2-point percentage and why their average 2-point attempt distance is almost the furthest in the entire country.
Maryland Basketball
Year 1 at Maryland has been a struggle for Buzz Williams. The Terrapins have the exact same record as Rutgers at 11-17 overall and 4-13 in the league.
Maryland has definitely played some better basketball over the past few weeks, though. The Terps have shot up from 149th to 124th on KenPom since the first week of February, with quality wins at Minnesota, and at home vs. Iowa and Washington.
Pharrel Payne going down early in the year was a major blow, and it has taken Maryland a lot of time to find an identity without its clear best player.
Diggy Coit had some massive games, including a 43-point explosion against Penn State, but that was by playing a lot of hero ball and taking a ton of difficult 3s. He has since been removed from the starting lineup and has only 15 combined points over his last three games.
Freshman Andre Mills has emerged as the team's go-to guy of late. He scored 39 in a road loss to Northwestern 10 days ago and has followed that up with 19 and 21 points in his last two.
Maryland checks in at 16th in the Big Ten in both offensive and defensive efficiency during league play. This group isn’t anywhere close to Buzz’s Texas A&M teams on the glass, but it’s still been a strong suit for them. The Terps rank top-five in the league in both offensive and defensive rebounding rate.
Maryland sits in the bottom three in the conference in turnover rate on both sides of the ball, and both 2-point percentage on offense and defense.
Rutgers vs Maryland Pick, Betting Analysis
I did the write-up on these teams when they first met. My play was on the under at 143.5, and Rutgers won it at home, 68-57, to cash it. Maryland scored an abysmal 0.88 points per possession compared to a not much better 1.05 from Rutgers.
I’m expecting a similarly gross game today.
Maryland has won two straight at home impressively over Iowa and Washington. It held Iowa to 70 and Washington to 60.
Rutgers hasn’t defended as well on the road compared to at home, but it'll have some confidence entering this one based on how it defended the Terps last time.
I lean toward laying the points in the revenge spot for a Maryland team that has played good ball at home lately, but the better play to me is the under.
My Pick: Under 141.5 (Play to 140)
