NCAA Basketball Odds – Prime Time Scorers on Center Stage as Houston Battles Maryland

The nation’s leading scorer and the ACC Player of the Year will be on center stage when the 13th-seeded Houston Cougars and 10th-seeded Maryland Terrapins will both be trying to pick up a win on Friday when they battle at Spokane Arena.

Friday, March 19, 9:50 PM ET

NCAAB Betting Odds: Maryland -9.5

TV: CBS

Houston (19-15 SU, 15-16 ATS, 11-16-1 O/U)
Maryland (23-8 SU, 17-10 ATS, 16-8-1 O/U)

Houston 411

Cougars are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.

Cougars are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 neutral site games.

Cougars are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as an underdog.

Cougars are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 non-conference games.

Houston shocked the entire Conference-USA by knocking off UTEP, 81- 73, in the C-USA championship game on Saturday afternoon.

The streaking Cougars covered the college basketball betting line as a 7-point underdogs to move to an unblemished 4-0 ATS over the last four games. Houston averages 78.6 points per game but allows 74.6 per contest defensively.

Maryland 411

Terrapins are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a S.U. loss.

Terrapins are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games as a favorite.

Terrapins are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.

Terrapins are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games.

Terrapins are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 neutral site games.

Maryland was on a roll, heading into Friday’s Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals matchup against Georgia Tech riding a seven-game winning streak.

Unfortunately for the terrapins and their backers, Maryland was upset 69-64 by the Yellow Jackets and failed to cover the NCAA basketball betting line as 4.5-point favorites to snap a four-game ATS winning streak. Maryland got a team-high 15 points from Landon Milbourne in a losing cause.

The Terps average 79.3 points per game while limiting their opponents to 67.5 points per contest defensively.

Analysis: Houston’s 6-4 sophomore guard Aubrey Coleman leads the country in scoring, averaging a stellar 26.0 points per game but Maryland has its own special player in 6-6 senior shooting guard Greivis Vasquez, the ACC Player of the Year, who averages 19.6 points per game.

I like the Maryland Terrapins to win this contest in large part because I believe they are a bit more mentally stringer, having survived the rigors of the powerful ACC this season.

Although I like the Terrapins to win this matchup, I think the 9-point spread is a bit on the high side and will be just a couple of points too high for Maryland to cover against a Houston team that can fill it up and averages less than one point per game fewer than they do.

Maryland has been extremely shaky in neutral site games this season, going 1-4 SU in their five such games, while Houston has been a near-lock to win their neutral court games, having gone 5-1 SU in six neutral site matchups this season.

The Cougars have recorded a perfect 4-0 ATS record in their last four neutral site games while also going 5-1 ATS in their last six games as an underdog.