Maryland vs Northwestern college basketball prediction, pick, odds

The Maryland Terrapins (13-4, 3-3 Big Ten) hit the road to take on the Northwestern Wildcats (10-6, 1-4 Big Ten) on Thursday night. It’s time to continue our college basketball odds series with the Maryland-Northwestern Prediction and Selection. We’ll also let you know how to watch the game.

Here are Maryland-Northwestern College basketball oddscourtesy of FanDuel

College basketball odds: Maryland-Northwestern odds

Maryland: -1.5 (-110)

Moneilines: -125

Northwestern: +1.5 (-110)

Moneiline: +104

Over: 141.5 (-110)

Under: 141.5 (-110)

How to watch Maryland vs. Northwestern

Time: 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT

TV: BTN

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Why Maryland will cover the spread/win

In the last two games, the Terrapins beat Minnesota and UCLA. Both of those games were at home, and neither team is great, but wins are wins. Those two conference wins moved Maryland back to .500 in the Big Ten. Maryland is playing good basketball right now and that makes them a dangerous team. In the last two wins, Maryland has allowed just 71 and 61 points while scoring just under 80 points per game. If Maryland can continue to play like they have, the Terrapins will win this game on the road.

Maryland’s defense will come into play here. On the season, Maryland allowed 63.8 points per game, the second fewest in the Big Ten. They are holding opponents to just 40.8 percent shooting from the field and 31.4 percent from beyond the arc. Northwestern is the third lowest scoring team in the Big Ten. They have the third-lowest field goal percentage, third-lowest three-point percentage, too. Northwestern doesn’t do a great job scoring, and it’s only going to get tougher against Maryland. As long as Maryland can continue to play strong defense, they will win.

Northwestern is on a three-game losing streak. It was three very tough games against Penn State, Purdue and Michigan State, so no wins were expected. However, three defeats in a row, and the last two by double figures. Northwestern hasn’t done a great job in these three games, so Maryland’s defense will be on full display in this game. With the way Northwestern has played, you can expect Maryland to have a good game.

Why Northwestern will cover the spread/win

Northwestern’s defense makes up for its lack of offense. They are allowing just 66.9 points per game, which is fourth-lowest in the Big Ten. A big reason for that is because the Wildcats slow down the tempo and force other teams to slow down. Northwestern allows the second-fewest punt attempts per game, and they force the fifth-most turnovers in the conference. Their ability to play defense keeps them in games, and that must be the case on Thursday night. If they can have a good defensive game, they will be able to cover the spread.

Nick Martinelli and Brooks Barnheiser are Northwestern’s leading scorers. Martinelli scores 19.9 points per game, while Barnheiser averages 18.0 points. Martinelli is the better scorer of the two, but Barnheiser is just 0.7 rebounds per game away from averaging a double-double. These are two key players for Northwestern and both have to play well if they want to win. If Martinelli and Barnheiser can get points, the Wildcats will have a chance to win at home.

The final Maryland-Northwest forecast and pick

This should be a good game. Still, I think Northwestern has a chance to win this game at home. I’ll take the Wildcats to win outright.

Final forecast and pick for Maryland-Northwest: Northwestern ML (+104)