11:34 am
March 12

Big Ten Tournament: Maryland v. #4 Michigan

Who will WIN this matchup?

Maryland Terrapins (16-12)

#4 Michigan Wolverines (19-3)

 

Current odds:

Maryland Terrapins: (TBD)

Michigan Wolverines: (TBD)

 

• The line for this game is Michigan by 8 points.

• Maryland lost decisively to Michigan twice during the regular season. The Terrapins will get another shot at the Wolverines in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis on Friday. The eighth-seeded Terrapins (16-12) advanced with a 68-57 victory over ninth seed Michigan State on Thursday.

• Michigan, the Big Ten’s regular-season champion, recorded an 84-73 win at Maryland’s home court on New Year’s Eve, then blew out the Terrapins 87-63 at Ann Arbor, Mich., on Jan. 19. In the first meeting, Wolverines center Hunter Dickinson dominated in the lane with 26 points and 11 rebounds. In the rematch, Michigan knocked down half of its 24 3-point attempts.

• The Terrapins put themselves in a tough spot entering the conference tournament, losing their final two regular-season contests. The win over the Spartans helped their NCAA Tournament prospects. Maryland got off to a slow start, trailing by 12 midway through the first half. From that point, the Terrapins shut down the Spartans’ attack. They forced 18 turnovers, leading to 27 points. The duo of Eric Ayala and Aaron Wiggins combined for 40 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and five steals. The Terrapins led by as much as 19 against Michigan State, which defeated Michigan on Sunday.

• The fourth-ranked Wolverines (19-3) lost two of their final three regular-season games after ranking as high as No. 2. Their bigger concern is the health of starting guard Eli Brooks, who suffered a left ankle sprain in the early going on Sunday. His status for this week’s tournament is uncertain, although the Wolverines seem resigned to playing without him for at least Friday’s game. He was still wearing a walking boot as of Wednesday.

• Brooks averages 8.7 points per game — tied with Mike Smith for fourth on the team — but his contributions go far beyond that, assistant coach Phil Martelli said in a radio interview. “He’s the most valuable player on this team, plain and simple,” he said. “The most invaluable piece, both to his teammates and to the coaching staff, is Eli Brooks. We talked about what this team is about. It’s about balance and that’s what Eli brings.”

7/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
#4 Michigan Wolverines
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