The Belmont Bruins got their tournament off on the right foot with a win over Temple in a First Four play-in game and now look to go back to back vs the Maryland Terrapins. Overall, Belmont has picked up wins in 15 of its last 16 contests, while Maryland is 3-3 in its last six games. The higher-seeded Terrapins are a 3-point favorite with the total Sportsbook at 147 points.
Belmont vs Maryland Game Center
Standout Stats
- Belmont has been on a tear since mid-January, going 15-1 SU and 11-3-2 ATS in its last 16 games and winning by an average of 19.73 points, with only one of those victories coming by fewer than 10 points. Meanwhile, Maryland is 5-4 SU and ATS in its last nine games with an average winning margin of 9.8. Although this seems like a slam dunk for the Bruins, their strength of schedule ranked 231st and the Terrapins’ SOS ranked 23rd.
- The UNDER has been a good wager to make for these two teams down the stretch as each of Belmont’s last four games has gone UNDER, while the total has gone UNDER in six of Maryland’s last nine. Of the Bruins’ last four games, though, only one game went UNDER 147 points, but each of the Terrapins’ last nine contests went UNDER 147 points.
- These two teams are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of scoring this season as Belmont has the No. 2 offense in college hoops at 86.9 points per game, while Maryland has averaged 71.3 ppg. However, on defense, the Terrapins limit their opponents to 65.1 ppg while the Bruins’ opponents fill the basket with 74.7 ppg.
- Both teams have a similar approach to scoring, getting a good balance between three-point shooting and points inside the arc. Belmont has a shooting percentage of 49.7 while Maryland hits 45.4 percent of its shots from the floor. But the Terrapins restrict their foes to 39.7 percent shooting and the Bruins’ opponents shoot 42.9 percent.
- Belmont and Maryland sport similar numbers in crashing the boards with the Terrapins securing 39.1 rebounds per game and the Bruins grabbing 38.6 boards per game. Turnovers could be a key factor, though, as Belmont has good ball possession, averaging just 11.6 giveaways per game, while Maryland averages 13.1 turnovers.
My Best Bet for Belmont vs Maryland
Belmont +3
All the signs point to Belmont keeping it close in this game, and I think its offense is going to find a way to put points on the board and I'm not sure if Maryland is going to be able to hang. The Bruins average ppg and have a better overall shooting percentage than the Terrapins. Also, the two teams are fairly even on the glass, but Belmont is much better at maintaining ball possession averaging fewer giveaways than Maryland.
