Decompress the day after the Super Bowl by enjoying a Big Ten showdown as the No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes (15-4) take on the Maryland Terrapins (10-9). Maryland will host this one at the Xfinity Center, with tipoff scheduled for 9:00 pm ET.
The Buckeyes come into this one third in the Big Ten at 9-4, just a half-game behind Illinois for second. With the Buckeyes having some work to do to catch the top-seeded Michigan Wolverines (8-1), every conference win matters. Luckily, they have been playing some good basketball, having won four in a row, including an 89-85 win over No. 8 Iowa on Thursday.
At 4-8 in the conference, Maryland has had a disappointing season. Still, they would love to play spoiler against the Buckeyes. Maryland has played well at home with a 7-4 record. Unfortunately, they have lost two of their last three, including a 55-50 loss against Penn State on the road.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the favorites despite playing on the road. The spread features the Terrapins +3.5 while the over/under for total points is 138.5.
By The Numbers
Offensively, Ohio State has been the superior team. They rank 42nd in the nation in scoring averaging 77.7 points per game (83.7 over their last three). Maryland falls to 234th, averaging 68 points per game, although they have scored a disappointing 55.3 points per game over their previous three.
Defensively, Maryland has the edge. They rank 69th in scoring defense, allowing just 66.5 points per game to opponents—the Buckeyes rank 114th allowing an average of 68.6 points per game.
Ohio State Looking To Finish Regular Season Strong
After a slow start to the season, the Buckeyes have turned it on as of late. Over the last several weeks, they have been adding impressive wins to their resume and would like to avoid a blemish against the Terrapins.
Leading the way for Ohio State is sophomore forward E.J. Liddell. He leads the team in points (15.4), rebounds (6.9), and blocks (1.2) per game. He is shooting 50.9% from the field and 75.5% from the charity stripe.
The other two double-digit scorers for the Buckeyes include guard Duane Washington (14.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists) and forward Justice Sueing (10.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals).
Maryland Looking For Home Upset
Hoping to stay above .500 on the season, Maryland will need to pull off a major upset over Ohio State at home. It will be tough given that Ohio State has played well both at home (9-1) and on the road (5-3).
Leading the way for the Terrapins is junior guard Eric Ayala. He is averaging 14.4 points on 46.5% shooting and 34.1% from behind the three on the season. He is also chipping in 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
The other two major scorers for the Terrapins are forward Donta Scott and guard Aaron Wiggins. Scott is averaging 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. Not to be outdone, Wiggins is averaging 12.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and one steal.
Taking Buckeyes To Win And Cover
This one surprises me a bit that the spread is so close. While the Buckeyes could fall trap to looking ahead to their games against Michigan, Iowa, and Illinois over the next few weeks, it is hard to imagine a scenario where they lose this game.
About the only avenue is if Maryland catches fire from behind the arc. Their offense relies heavily on the three, but the Buckeyes have one of the best three-point defenses in the Big Ten.
For my money, I like Ohio State not only to win but to cover the spread with relative ease.
