After getting jilted for an invitation to the Big Dance, the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Maryland Terrapins will continue to try and prove the NCAA Selection Committee wrong when the two clash in this season’s NIT Semifinal Round this Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. Tip off for this Big Ten/ACC matchup is scheduled for 9 p.m. (ET), and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.

The Hawkeyes blasted Indiana State 68-52 as 11-point favorites in their NIT opener. They went on to beat Stony Brook 75-63 as 8.5-point favorites before ousting Virginia 75-64 as 3.5-point road underdogs. The total went “over” in their final two games.

Maryland’s run to the semifinals started with an 86-70 romp over Niagara as a 10-point home favorite followed by a 62-52 victory at home against Denver as a 4.5-point favorite. The Terrapins then went on the road as three-point underdogs and upset Alabama, 58-57. The total stayed “under” in their last two outings.

Iowa vs. Maryland Betting Storylines

Iowa now has just one straight up loss in its last seven games and is a perfect 9-0 against the spread in its last nine contests. The total has actually gone over in four of its last six games. This minor uptick on offense has the Hawkeyes scoring 73 points or more in four of their last five games after averaging 70 points a game this season.

Roy-Devyn Marble and Aaron White have combined for 28 points and 10 rebounds a game. Marble came up especially big against Virginia with a game-high 24 points. The team as a whole is shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 30.9 percent from three-point range. It is holding teams to 62.6 points a game on the other end of the court.

The Terrapins have to feel especially jilted after knocking Duke out of the ACC Tournament with an 83-74 victory as 10-point underdogs. Including a tough 79-76 loss to North Carolina as 4.5-point underdogs, they have now covered the spread in their last seven games. They have also been able to tighten things up on defense in their last two contests after allowing 70 points or more in five of their previous eight.

The players to watch for Maryland against the Hawkeyes are Dez Wells and Alex Len. Wells is averaging 13.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and three assists while shooting 53.1 percent from the floor. Len leads the team in rebounds with 7.8 while chipping in another 11.8 points a game. He is hitting over 53 percent of his shots from the floor as well. Overall, the Terrapins are averaging 71.2 points a game while shooting a solid 46.3 percent from the field.

Iowa vs. Maryland NIT Betting Odds and Trends

Iowa has been opened by BetOnline as a 2.5-point home favorite over the Terrapins with the over/under set at 136.

The Hawkeyes are a perfect 8-0 ATS in their last eight nonconference games and 4-1 ATS in their last five games played at a neutral site. The total has gone over in four of their last five games following a SU win.

The Terrapins are 5-0 ATS in their last five neutral-site games and 5-1 ATS in their last six games outside the ACC. The total has gone over in six of their last seven games played at a neutral site.

The last time these two teams met was all the way back in 1999, with Maryland coming away with an 83-65 victory as a 9.5-point home favorite.

Iowa vs. Maryland Picks and Betting Predictions

Both teams come into this matchup playing in excellent form both SU and ATS. Iowa has a slight advantage considering the level of talent it has faced in the Big Ten this season, but the Terrapins’ two victories over the Blue Devils this season proves they can hang with some of the best teams in the country. In what should be a back-and-forth battle all night long, stick with Maryland, at the very least, to cover with the 2.5 points.

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