The Michigan Wolverines (19-8) travel to Xfinity Center to challenge the No. 6 Maryland Terrapins (22-5), the best team in the Big Ten. Action begins at 1:00 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 21 and will air on CBS.
The Terrapins fell to Minnesota 68-63 on Thursday. Rasheed Sulaimon was the game’s leading scorer, recording 28 points. The Wolverines, meanwhile, are coming off a 76-66 loss to Ohio State on Tuesday. Mark Donnal had a game-high 17 points.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as Maryland ranks 280th in the nation in possessions per game (67.1 possessions per game), while Michigan is 328th (65.5). Also, the upper-echelon offense of the Wolverines ranks eighth in eFG% at 56.6%, while the Terrapins are 19th-best in the nation at forcing opponents’ misses (44.9%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Wolverines won the first game 70-67. Diamond Stone had a double-double in the loss with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
The Terrapins come into this game 22-5 Straight Up (SU) and 12-14-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 3-7 ATS over their last 10 games. The Terrapins are a dangerously accurate shooting team with a .489 field-goal percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I. Maryland’s defense has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game rose to 72.3 during that span, compared to its 64.3 season average.
Over on the other bench, the Wolverines have 19-8 SU and 13-13 ATS records. The Wolverines are an excellent long-range shooting team with 272 three-point shots made (10.0 per game), ranking ninth in Division I. The Wolverines rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the seventh-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.57. The Wolverines are one of the top defensive teams in the nation, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 66.3 points allowed per game.
Michigan won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but Maryland still leads the head-to-head record, 2-1 SU. The teams are even ATS, with a 1-1-1 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – MD, ATS Winner – MD
Notes
Maryland scores an average of just 75.7 points per game (ranked 103rd). Michigan ranks 46th in points allowed, giving up 66.3 points per game.
Maryland scores just 79.1 points per home game (ranked 101st). Michigan ranks 75th in points allowed on the road, giving up 71.8 points.
Ranked 47th, the Maryland Terrapins have an offensive rating of 112.8. The Michigan Wolverines rank 123rd with a defensive rating of just 101.4.
Maryland averages 67.1 possessions per game, scoring 1.128 points on each possession. While Michigan averages fewer possessions per game with 65.5, they score more points per possession with 1.159.
The Maryland Terrapins have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking 16th in the country with an eFG% of 55.6%. When their opponents record a similar or higher eFG%, the Michigan Wolverines have an underachieving 2-7 record.
Michigan ranks 74th in assists, recording 15.1 per game. Maryland performs worse at 132nd with 14.0 assists per game.
Maryland, the eighth-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 5.7 per game. Michigan ranks lower at 309th with 2.2.
On average, Maryland makes 5.8 steals per game. Michigan has a winning 6-3 record when it gives up at least 5 steals.
