College basketball betting: Georgia Tech vs. Maryland
by Mike Rose
After a big day of college basketball betting action in the ACC Tournament, just eight teams remain with their eyes on the prize of the conference championship. In a matchup between two teams that are most likely in the NCAA Tournament but could be biting their nails on Selection Sunday, the Maryland Terrapins will face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
The Jackets moved onto the quarterfinals of this college basketball tournament by taking out the disappointing North Carolina Tar Heels 62-58. The win gave HC Paul Hewitt's team its 20th of the season, which is most likely good enough to go dancing. But one more win certainly won't hurt its cause.
Maryland, the #2 seed in this tournament, is largely accepted as a team in the field regardless of what goes on in this tournament; especially with the rest of the carnage that’s occurred over the last few days.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (20-11, 14-10-1 ATS) vs. Maryland Terrapins (23-7, 17-9 ATS)
College Basketball Odds:
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets +4
Maryland Terrapins -4
Game Total 143
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ Maryland Terrapins >> Join to Bet Now
It wasn't exactly a work of art, but the Jackets found a way to take care of North Carolina on the first day of the ACC Tournament.
Georgia Tech held UNC to just 23/71 shooting (32.4%), and that was thanks in large part to the play of F Derrick Favors, who scored 18 points, brought in nine boards, and blocked five shots.
It was the best defensive effort in quite awhile for the Yellow Jackets, who conceded 88 points to Virginia Tech and 91 to Clemson in their previous two college basketball betting battles before the ACC Tournament.
In a year where the Duke Blue Devils were clearly the best team in the ACC, the Terps appeared to be the squad that lead the second pack for the majority of the year.
Once a candidate for the AP Player of the Year honors, F Greivis Vazquez hasn't disappointed in this, his senior season. He averaged 19.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 6.3 steals per game. His L/3 ACC betting battles were particularly effective, as he averaged 28.0 points per game, including a 41 point outburst against Virginia Tech.
Though Maryland averages a solid 79.8 points per game and ranks in the Top 25 in both field goal shooting (47.5%) and three point shooting (39.3%), it doesn't get nearly enough accolades for its defense. The Terrapins are holding teams to just 38.4 percent shooting from the field this year, which is good enough for 11th in the country.
College Basketball Insider Betting Tip: Maryland has crushed the Jackets in this series of late, going 9-0 SU and 6-3 ATS in the teams' L/9 betting affairs.
That makes it particularly hard to not back the Turtles again in this one. Vazquez has a knack of coming up big in the biggest of college basketball games, and this one is no exception.
G-Tech may be coming off of a victory, but it wasn't exactly a convincing one. It's hard to ignore the fact that it had lost five of its previous seven games before the UNC game.
Take the Terps in this one, and don't be afraid to lay the points.
My College Basketball Prediction: Maryland by 11
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