Crimson Tide have Concerns
The Alabama Crimson Tide won their NCAA Tournament opening-round contest rather easily but there were still some cracks in the armor. If you saw the college basketball news, you might have seen that star Brandon Miller failed to score a single point.
Next up is a second-round matchup against a gritty Maryland team that got off the mat against West Virginia. Will the Tide’s vulnerabilities show up again in this spot?
What’s With Miller?
A lot of college basketball betting handicappers were surprised to see that Miller finished the team’s opening game with zero points. On one hand, that’s concerning. On the other hand, it’s still impressive that Alabama cruised without him.
The challenge for those who bet online here is that Maryland is not Texas A&M Corpus-Christi. Texas A&M CC is ranked 173rd in the KenPom.com team rankings; Maryland is 19th.
The good news here for Alabama is that Maryland doesn’t exactly have an explosive offense. We saw the Terrapins struggle early on against West Virginia and their offense will likely have spells like that again.
The Tide’s supporting cast and defense showed up in the opener. They’ll need Miller this time around, but it was quite encouraging to see that this team found a way to win without him.
Which Terps Will We See?
The college basketball odds showed Maryland as an underdog against West Virginia and betting against the Terps was quite popular. Bettors looked good early as Maryland struggled, but were proven wrong when the Terrapins stormed back.
The question now is: Which Terps team will we see?
Maryland is up against a tough defense here but this is quite doable for them. If you’re betting this game in the sportsbook, note that Maryland is 14-0 when shooting 48% from the field or better and 19-3 when at 44% or better. A solid 45% day could get this done.
Alabama vs Maryland Game Injuries
Alabama vs Maryland Head-to-Head
These two teams have squared off three times since 1997 and just once in the last three years. Alabama got the most recent win and is 2-1 in this series dating back to the 1990s.
Alabama vs Maryland Information
- Game: Alabama (30-5) Maryland Terrapins (22-12)
- Location: Legacy Arena at BJCC, Birmingham, AL
- Day/Time: Saturday, March 18, 9:40 p.m. ET
- Alabama vs Maryland Live stream: TBS.com
Alabama vs Maryland Betting Lines
Alabama vs Maryland Prediction
Maryland is going to have a shot here. The story of this NCAA Tournament has been just how vulnerable a lot of these top seeds can be and we’ve already seen it. Alabama could be next in line.
What should carry the Tide to the next round is a few things, though. The Terps don’t have a great offense, the Tide have an excellent defense and Alabama is playing very close to home.
Those factors should push them over the top to win and cover for your college basketball picks.
Alabama is listed at -395 in our Vegas lines. So, if you wager $100 on the Crimson Tide, there’s a chance to win $25. Maryland is 315 with a chance to win $315 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Terrapins a 79.80% chance to win, with the Crimson Tide at 24.10%
Alabama vs Maryland Trends
Alabama vs Maryland Edge
Alabama vs Maryland Results
Alabama vs Maryland Game Summary
