The Maryland Terrapins have already played two Top-25 teams this season and still have matchups against No. 18 North Carolina, No. 8 Duke and No. 2 Syracuse scheduled this year. So far Maryland has not had luck beating any of the top teams, but it has performed well against the smaller schools on its schedule. The Terrapins ended last season with a decent 22-12 regular season record but failed to make the NCAA Tournament and instead had to settle for an NIT berth. The team performed surprisingly well and made it to the semifinals against Iowa.

The Boston College Eagles have struggled to gain any footing early in the NCAA basketball season and are on pace to have an even worse record than the 16-17 mark they produced last year. Boston College has not earned a postseason tournament berth since it was invited to the NIT three seasons ago and has not played in the NCAA Tournament since 2009. Let’s take a closer look at Thursday’s matchup between Maryland and Boston College and figure out which side of the spread has the most value to wager on.

Maryland at Boston College Betting Story Lines

Maryland started the season with a decent 4-3 ATS record during its first nine games—two games were off the board—but is coming off two straight losses to Ohio State and George Washington. Maryland is being led by second-year guard Jake Layman, who is averaging 14.4 points, six rebounds and 1.1 assists per game in nearly 33 minutes of action.

Maryland played well during the second half of its last game but was unable to overcome a 12-point first-half deficit the team built early in the matchup. The Terrapins shot only 26 percent from beyond the arc and 39 percent from the field for the entire night. The team only managed to earn assists on seven of its 25 made shots. George Washington’s press defense gave Maryland quite a bit of trouble for the night.

Boston College is coming off two horrible double-digit losses to Purdue and USC. The team last played the Trojans on Sunday and was blown out in the second half after making it to intermission knotted at 32 points apiece. Boston College shot poorly from all parts of the field and was not able to get 13 points from any single player on the team. The team also uncharacteristically struggled from the free throw line against USC and usually shoots 80 percent from the charity stripe.

Maryland at Boston College NCAA Betting Odds and Key Trends

Maryland opened as a one-point favorite over Boston College, according to BetOnline. Maryland is 4-0 ATS during its last five Thursday games and 6-1 ATS following an ATS loss. The team is 7-2 ATS during its last nine road games and 11-4 ATS during its last 15 overall matchups. Boston College is 11-4 ATS during its last 15 Thursday games, but it is only 2-7 ATS over its last nine overall matchups. The team is 1-4 ATS over its last five games following a SU loss and 1-4 ATS against teams with winning SU records.

Free College Basketball Picks: Maryland at Boston College Predictions

Maryland has already played multiple high-profile games against very good schools and should be able to get a road win against a struggling Boston College squad. Maryland plays solid defenses and shoots well from the three-point line, and it is simply the better team heading into Thursday’s matchup. Take Maryland minus the point.

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