Northwestern vs. Maryland Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Wednesday, Feb. 28 (Take the Wildcats)
Northwestern has won four of its last five games to climb to third place in the Big 10 and the Wildcats are trending toward an NCAA Tournament berth. The Wildcats are just 1-6 on the road this season and are a modest underdog in their trip to Xfinity Center Wednesday night.
Maryland has struggled mightily this month, losing five of seven to fall to 10th in the Big 10. The Terrapins are now a favorite coming off a 63-46 road win over Rutgers. Can they pull away from the Wildcats?
Here’s the betting preview for Wednesday’s Big 10 battle.
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Northwestern vs. Maryland Odds, Spread and Total
Northwestern vs. Maryland Betting Trends
- Northwestern is 14-11-2 ATS this season
- Maryland is 12-16 ATS this season
- Northwestern is 6-4 ATS as an underdog this season
- Maryland is 6-8 ATS as a favorite this season
- The OVER is 16-10-1 in Northwestern games this season
- The OVER is 10-18 in Maryland games this season
Northwestern vs. Maryland How to Watch
- Date: Wednesday, Feb. 28
- Game time: 7 p.m. EST
- Venue: Xfinity Center
- How to watch (TV): Big 10 Network
- Northwestern record: 19-8 (10-6 Big 10)
- Maryland record: 15-13 (7-10 Big 10)
Northwestern vs. Maryland Key Players to Watch
Northwestern
Ryan Langborg: Leading scorer Boo Buie grabbed headlines when he became Northwestern’s all-time leading scorer in Thursday’s win over Michigan, but Langborg has been the best offensive weapon for the Wildcats over the last two games. In that stretch, the 6-foot-4 senior guard has scored 46 points on 14-of-29 shooting with nine 3-pointers.
Maryland
Julian Reese: A complimentary scorer to Jahmir Young, Reese averages 14 points per game and is second only to Zach Edey in the Big 10 in rebounding, pulling down 9.9 boards per game. Reese is shooting 53.7% from the field and has scored above his season average in four consecutive games.
Northwestern vs. Maryland Prediction and Pick
It’s strength-on-strength in this matchup as Maryland’s defense is one of the best in the nation and Northwestern is led by its offense.
Maryland is No. 6 in KenPom in defensive efficiency, ranking No. 10 in effective field goal percentage. The Terrapins are better defending inside the arc (No. 12) than beyond it (No. 62). Maryland is No. 2 in the Big 10 against 3s, allowing opponents to connect at just a 31.7% rate from the perimeter. That’s a big part of this matchup given Northwestern’s offense, which ranks No. 5 in the nation in 3-point shooting.
On the other side, Maryland’s offense shouldn’t be trusted to win with margin. The Terrapins are No. 316 in effective field goal percentage and Northwestern’s 74th-ranked defense has one big advantage in this matchup. The Wildcats are No. 44 in turnover percentage and Maryland coughs it up at the No. 219 rate in the country.
Northwestern is one of the worst 3-point defenses (No. 336) in the country, but Maryland hasn’t been able to connect from deep, ranking last in the Big 10 in 3-point shooting (28.9%).
Northwestern has been good as an underdog this season (6-4 ATS) while Maryland doesn’t have a lot of juice late in the season and are just 6-8 ATS as a favorite. In a projected low-scoring rock fight, grab the points with Northwestern.
Game odds update periodically and are subject to change.