Maryland Terrapins vs Connecticut Huskies Prediction, 3/20/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Maryland Terrapins vs Connecticut Huskies

Date: Saturday, March 20, 2021

Location: Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, IN

TV: CBS

Odds/Point Spread: Maryland (+2)

The Maryland Terrapins (16-13) are headed to Mackey Arena on Saturday where they'll meet the Connecticut Huskies (15-7) in the NCAA Tournament. The line on this matchup has Connecticut as 2-point favorites. The total has been set at 131.

Maryland heads into this game with a mark of 16-13 for the campaign. They average 68.8 pts per contest (244th in D-1) while hitting 45.6% from the field. The Terrapins are connecting on 35.3% on three-point shots (234 of 663) and 70.2% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Maryland is snagging 33.3 rebounds per game and has tallied 385 assists for the campaign, which ranks 49th in the country in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 11.2 times per game and as a unit are committing 14.9 personal fouls on a nightly basis. Defensively, the Terrapins are forcing their opponents into 11.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.1 fouls. They are currently ranked 270th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 349 conceded this year. The Terrapins are allowing a shooting percentage of 40.9% (673 of 1,646) and they surrender 33.5 rebounds per contest as a group. They surrender 34.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 46th in college basketball in opponents PPG (65.0).

The Maryland Terrapins played the Michigan Wolverines and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 79-66 in their last contest. Maryland walked away from the contest with a 48.1% field goal percentage (26 of 54) and made 8 of their 26 three-point attempts. When they shot from the free throw line, the Terrapins converted 6 of their 8 shots for a percentage of 75.0%. Concerning grabbing rebounds, they earned 22 with 4 of them being offensive. They also distributed 16 assists for this contest in addition to forcing the other team into 6 turnovers and having 1 steal. When it comes to defense, Maryland allowed their opponent to shoot 51.7% from the field on 31 out of 60 shooting. Michigan recorded 21 dimes and had 6 steals for the contest. In addition, Michigan grabbed 31 rebounds (9 offensive, 22 defensive) and added 1 block. Michigan finished 100.0% from the charity stripe by converting 7 of their 7 attempts. They also made 10 of 22 tries from beyond the perimeter.

Eric Ayala is a guy who was a major factor for the matchup. He racked up 19 points on 7 of 15 shooting. He played for 38 minutes and collected 5 rebounds. Ayala finished shooting 46.7% from the floor and also distributed 1 assist. Another guy that was a major factor in this matchup for the Terrapins was Darryl Morsell. He snagged 6 rebounds in his 27 minutes on the court. He ended up going 77.8% from the field for this contest via 7-of-9 (16 points). Overall, Morsell accounted for 3 assists.

Connecticut has a win-loss mark of 15-7 on the season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Huskies are hitting on 43.9% from the floor, which has them ranked 196th in college basketball. Connecticut has scored 1,596 points for the campaign (72.5 per contest) and they pull in 38.1 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 13.0 times per contest (181st in the nation) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.7 times per game. The Huskies are responsible for committing 18.9 personal fouls every game while shooting 73.1% from the free throw line. The Huskies defensively are ranked 42nd in the nation in points given up per game with 64.6. They surrender 10.4 dimes and 33.3 boards on a nightly basis, which is 25th and 99th in the nation. The Connecticut defense allows 31.6% on shots from distance (125 of 396) and their opposition knocks down 70.7% of their free throw shots. They are forcing 13.1 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 41.0% from the floor (58th in college basketball).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Connecticut Huskies took a defeat with a final score of 59-56 when they played the Creighton Bluejays. The Huskies snagged 24 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 33 in this contest. They turned it over 8 times, while earning 4 steals in this contest. The Bluejays were called for 17 fouls for this game which got the Huskies to the free throw line for a total of 19 shots. They were able to bury 15 of those for a percentage of 78.9%. With regard to shooting from 3-point land, Connecticut converted 3 out of 14 attempts (21.4%). When the final whistle was blown, the Huskies finished shooting 19 for 58 from the field which had them at 32.8%. The Huskies permitted the Bluejays to convert 23 of 62 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 37.1% in this game. They shot 27.8% from 3-point land via 5 of 18 and ended up shooting 8 out of 14 from the free throw line (57.1%). In the matter of rebounding, Connecticut permitted Creighton to pull down 44 overall (15 offensive).

James Bouknight ended up having an impact for the Huskies for the matchup. He made 4 out of 14 in the game for a field goal rate of 28.6%, and totaled 8 rebounds. Bouknight earned 14 points in his 33 minutes on the court and had 2 dimes for this game. An additional guy that was pivotal for Connecticut was Isaiah Whaley. He accumulated 1 assist in his 33 mins on the court, and he put in 4 out of 8 from the floor. Whaley finished going 50.0% from the floor while earning 13 points and 7 boards.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Connecticut (-2) and under 131 points

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