Things will need to sharpen up for the No. 3 LSU Tigers when they face the No. 6 Maryland Terrapins in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers were beating Yale by double digits in the first round, then allowed the Ivy League school to climb back into the game and needed a late rally to get the W. That type of lax effort could end up being their downfall vs the Terps, who have a huge frontcourt and one of the best defenses in the nation.
The Tigers opened as 2.5-point favorites with a total of 147.
I’m riding with the Terps in this one because of the turmoil in the Tigers’ locker room from the exile of their head coach and the fact that their defense has been pretty bad for most of the year. They’re used to overwhelming opponents with their size and athleticism but that won’t work against the Terps, who have two excellent big men. That means LSU will need to hit outside shots and that’s a phase of the game where the Tigers have been below average at best. I think the Terps crush them inside and likely win outright.
Maryland ranks 33rd in the NCAA in scoring defense.away LSU ranks 284th in three-point shooting percentage.home The average combined score in LSU’s last 13 games is 154.5.home