The Maryland Terrapins will face off with the Kansas Jayhawks in a Sweet 16 match-up in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky with a scheduled tip-off of 9:40 PM ET. The betting odds on this Sweet 16 match opened with the Jayhawks as a 7-point favorite on the point spread line with the total offered at 147.
Maryland enters off an impressive 73-60 against a Hawaii team many takers were keen on. Nevertheless pundits will argue that Hawaii was never a solid opponent and they moved forward in to the second round by virtue of California’s misfortunes as opposed to their own ability. In the tournament so far, the Terrapins have taken advantage of mid-major conference champions, now they will face the Big 12 champs.
The Jayhawks continue to roll, coming in off a 73-61 victory over UConn. Kansas continues to do what they do best, bury teams with threes and continue to a boast a field goal percentage ranked 5th nationally. KU has been hitting about 50% of their shots in their last two games and drained 36% of the three-pointers to complement their prolific offense in their recent two outings. Against a highly-regarded UConn defense, for Kansas to achieve such success makes them appear to be unstoppable.
However, there is good news for Maryland. KU is one of the worst in the country (284th nationally) when it comes to opponents taking advantage of free throws. Maryland is among the best in the country (11th nationally) in shooting free throws, this narrative can help Maryland in finding a chink in Kansas’ armor.
Maryland Terrapins, 27-8 SU, 16-17 ATS
Kansas Jayhawks, 32-4 SU, 23-11 ATS
- Kansas has not lost a game since January 25th, 2016.
- Maryland is 4-5 ATS in their last nine contests.
- Kansas is 7-3 ATS in their last ten fixtures.
62% of the consensus have jumped on the Jayhawks against the spread. An overwhelming 92% of the public have taken Kansas on the Money Line and are willing to lay the juice at -275, as opposed to taking Maryland at 225. 63% of the public are on the over for a Total Line currently set at 144.