Maryland Terrapins vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, 3/3/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Maryland Terrapins vs Northwestern Wildcats

Date: Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL

TV: BTN

Odds/Point Spread: Maryland (-3)

The Maryland Terrapins (15-10) go to Welsh-Ryan Arena on Wednesday where they'll take on the Northwestern Wildcats (7-14). Northwestern opens this game as 3-point dogs. The over/under has been set at 131.5.

Maryland will play this contest with a mark of 15-10 this season. The Terrapins are shooting 35.6% on shots from downtown (203 of 570) and 70.7% from the free throw line. They are averaging 69.8 pts per game (220th in Division 1) while connecting on 45.9% from the floor. They turn it over 11.0 times per game and as a unit they commit 14.8 fouls per game. As a team, Maryland is pulling down 33.7 boards per game and has accumulated 334 assists this year, which is 68th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. On defense, the Terrapins have forced 11.0 turnovers per game and they draw 17.4 personal fouls. The Terrapins defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 40.9% (581 of 1,422) and they surrender 33.3 boards per contest as a basketball team. They currently rank 234th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 297 surrendered this season. They are conceding 33.7% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 50th in college basketball in opponents points per game (64.9).

The Maryland Terrapins stepped onto the hardwood against the Michigan State Spartans and earned the victory with a final of 73-55 in their last contest. Maryland walked away from the game with a 48.8% FG percentage (21 of 43) and made 8 out of their 16 three-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Terrapins made 23 of their 24 attempts for a rate of 95.8%. With respect to grabbing boards, they earned 30 with 2 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 13 assists in the matchup while forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and getting 3 steals. When discussing defense, Maryland allowed their opponent to shoot 33.3% from the field on 19 of 57 shooting. Michigan State earned 13 assists and had 2 steals in this game. Furthurmore, Michigan State collected 33 boards (13 offensive, 20 defensive) and added 3 blocked shots. Michigan State finished the game at 60.0% when shooting free throws by burying 9 of 15 shots. They made 8 of 28 tries from beyond the arc.

Eric Ayala is one guy who was a factor in this contest. He accumulated 22 points on 4 of 11 shooting. He saw the court for 34 minutes played and totaled 6 rebounds. Ayala finished 36.4% from the field and dished out 3 assists. Someone else that was a determining factor in this game for the Terrapins was Aaron Wiggins. He collected 6 rebounds in 31 min on the hardwood. He ended up shooting 40.0% from the field in this contest by connecting on 4-of-10 (13 points). Overall, Wiggins went home without an assist.

Northwestern has a win-loss record of 7-14 on the year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Wildcats are connecting on 43.7% from the field, which ranks 211th in the nation. Northwestern has accounted for 1,501 pts for the campaign (71.5 per contest) and they snag 33.7 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 14.8 times per contest (79th in college basketball) and they are giving up possession 11.7 times per game. The Wildcats are committing 17.9 fouls every game while shooting 72.9% from the free throw line. The Wildcats on defense are ranked 212th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 71.3. The Northwestern defense allows 32.7% on three-point shots (165 of 504) and opponents are connecting on 72.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 14.9 assists and 36.1 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 294th and 243rd in college hoops. They have forced 12.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 43.0% from the floor (161st in college hoops).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Northwestern Wildcats got the victory with a final of 67-59 against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Wildcats pulled down 24 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 32 in this contest. They coughed up the ball 17 times, while earning 8 steals for this game. The Golden Gophers committed 24 personal fouls in the game which took the Wildcats to the charity stripe for a total of 27 shots. They were able to bury 22 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 81.5%. In the matter of shooting from 3-point land, Northwestern converted 7 of 18 tries (38.9%). When the final whistle blew, the Wildcats shot 19 out of 45 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.2%. The Wildcats allowed the Golden Gophers to make 23 of their 62 tries from the floor which left them shooting 37.1% for the game. They shot 14.8% from downtown by connecting on 4 out of 27 and walked away from this one shooting 9 of 10 from the free throw line (90.0%). Regarding cleaning up the glass, Northwestern allowed Minnesota to get 29 overall (8 on the offensive side).

Boo Buie was important for the Wildcats in this game. He made 5 of 13 for the contest for a rate of 38.5%, and added 2 rebounds. Buie had 25 points in his 32 minutes on the court and accumulated 1 assist in this matchup. Another guy that played a role for Northwestern was Miller Kopp. He came away with no assists in 34 minutes on the hardwood, and he knocked down 5 out of 10 from the floor. Kopp finished going 50.0% from the field as well as notching 15 points and 5 rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Northwestern (+3)

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