This matchup between the Maryland Terrapins and Connecticut Huskies will take place at Madison Square Garden. The game starts at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 8 and will air on ESP and ES3.
The Huskies enter this game hoping for similar success after dismantling Sacred Heart 82-49 in their last matchup. Daniel Hamilton was a key piece, recording 14 points and 13 rebounds to notch his third double-double of the season. The Terrapins are coming off a 96-55 win against Saint Francis in their last outing. Robert Carter led the game in scoring by recording 20 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
Maryland is a slim one-point favorite over Connecticut. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently 140 points. The Huskies look to build on their records of 5-2 Straight Up (SU) and 2-1-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Huskies are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting a stellar .487 from the field. The Huskies have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the 50th-ranked rebounding team in Division I, averaging 41.7 per game, while the Terrapins rank 318th in the nation with 32.6 per game. Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Connecticut, which ranks 24th at 1.54.
As for their opponent, the Terrapins head into the game with records of 3-4-1 ATS and 7-1 SU. Maryland is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, hitting .396 of their shots from three-point range.
This is the first meeting of the season for these two. The last time they played, Connecticut came out on top, but Maryland still leads the head-to-head record, 2-1 SU. With a 3-0 record, the Terrapins also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – UConn, ATS Winner – UConn, O/U – Over
Notes
The Connecticut Huskies average 81.4 points per game, ranking 60th in the nation. The Maryland Terrapins rank 64th in points allowed with 65.1.
Connecticut scores 84.8 points per home game (ranked 86th). Maryland ranks a poor 216th in points allowed on the road, allowing 77.5 points.
In its last game, Maryland won by a margin of 41 points. Connecticut is 4-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Maryland has a 3-0 record in blowouts.
The Maryland Terrapins rank 14th for their offensive rating of 120.4. The Connecticut Huskies have a defensive rating of 93.8 (ranked 58th).
Connecticut has an average field goal percentage of 48.7%. Maryland is an even 1-1 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Connecticut Huskies rank higher based on their field goal percentage (38th) than their effective field goal percentage (54th), while the Maryland Terrapins rank the same for both metrics (third).
Connecticut ranks 58th in assists, recording 16.3 per game. Maryland ranks 91st with 15.4 assists per game.
Connecticut, the eighth-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 6.6 per game. Maryland ranks 46th with 5.2.
Maryland ranks 331st in offensive rebounds, while Connecticut ranks at 16th in defensive rebounds.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 18.6% when playing Maryland this season. Connecticut is undefeated this season (1-0) when its TO% is 18.6% or higher.
