Maryland

[BASON]

Maryland takes on Rutgers today in NJ.

I think MD is definitely the better team and they should have some confidence coming off the Nebraska win. Have not seen Rutgers play but they lost their first two Big 10 games to Michigan State at home and Wisky on the road, so that is not very telling to me. The only win that is noteworthy is at Miami. Maryland played well at Purdue in a game they really should have won, but their offensive woes killed them down the stretch. Both teams do not shoot the ball well at all, especially from 3. Maryland's shooting percentage is skewed by Fernando who shoots 70%. For the season these teams average 146 points per game yet this line sits at 133.5. That is a sizable difference so Vegas is expecting an ugly half court game. I agree, so I will take a little different track in this one:

MD/Rutgers Un 63 FH

Going to go with the line and bet that both teams struggle shooting to start this one. I will likely watch this one, so will see how it goes and if there is a second half play.

 

[Keith 1]

Maryland takes on Rutgers today in NJ.

I think MD is definitely the better team and they should have some confidence coming off the Nebraska win. Have not seen Rutgers play but they lost their first two Big 10 games to Michigan State at home and Wisky on the road, so that is not very telling to me. The only win that is noteworthy is at Miami. Maryland played well at Purdue in a game they really should have won, but their offensive woes killed them down the stretch. Both teams do not shoot the ball well at all, especially from 3. Maryland's shooting percentage is skewed by Fernando who shoots 70%. For the season these teams average 146 points per game yet this line sits at 133.5. That is a sizable difference so Vegas is expecting an ugly half court game. I agree, so I will take a little different track in this one:

MD/Rutgers Un 63 FH

Going to go with the line and bet that both teams struggle shooting to start this one. I will likely watch this one, so will see how it goes and if there is a second half play.

Bravo !! :00hour

 

[BASON]

Thanks. Got interesting at the end.

I am just taking the winnings here. Rutgers was awful, so at -1 they would be the only possible bet for the second half. I do not really like it given how they played in the first half, but Maryland rarely totally blows teams out, so if you have some extra bucks it many be worth a small play.

 

[bombers3737]

Thanks. Got interesting at the end.

I am just taking the winnings here. Rutgers was awful, so at -1 they would be the only possible bet for the second half. I do not really like it given how they played in the first half, but Maryland rarely totally blows teams out, so if you have some extra bucks it many be worth a small play.

on fire! u like over in 2nd half?

 

[lowell]

Nice call

 

[BASON]

Maryland takes on the Golden Gophers in Minnesota

Back to back road games for Maryland after destroying Rutgers in NJ last time out. Minnesota is on a 6 game winning streak that started with beating Nebraska by 8 at home (MD beat them by 2) and kept alive last game with a huge road win against Wisconsin. So we have two teams that are feeling good about themselves coming into this one. I think Maryland is the better team and the line is telling you this as it sits at Minnesota -1.5. Maryland continues to start games poorly (even at Rutgers but they ended the first half on a huge run) and Minnesota is a very tough place to play given the configuration of their court. Minnesota relies on guard play and has a freshmen center to battle with Fernando. They rely on scoring from the half court and are not a team that scores the 3 ball or even shoots it that much. I do think that plays into Maryland's defense. Containing Coffey is the key to beating Minnesota as he appears to be the reason for Minnesota's turn around from last year. I thought this line would be a little higher in Minnesota's favor. From a betting perspective, I have to think that Maryland will start slowly once again so I am going back to the FH:

Minnesota Pk FH

Do not see Maryland recovering as fast from a slow start on this court. I know I may be pressing my luck coming back to this bet, but the Rutgers FH was an anomaly to me as Rutgers was simply awful. Do not see Minnesota playing that bad at home. The hangover from the Wisky game is some concern but enough time has passed (game was played on 1/3) that is should not affect them.

 

[lowell]

Maryland takes on the Golden Gophers in Minnesota

Back to back road games for Maryland after destroying Rutgers in NJ last time out. Minnesota is on a 6 game winning streak that started with beating Nebraska by 8 at home (MD beat them by 2) and kept alive last game with a huge road win against Wisconsin. So we have two teams that are feeling good about themselves coming into this one. I think Maryland is the better team and the line is telling you this as it sits at Minnesota -1.5. Maryland continues to start games poorly (even at Rutgers but they ended the first half on a huge run) and Minnesota is a very tough place to play given the configuration of their court. Minnesota relies on guard play and has a freshmen center to battle with Fernando. They rely on scoring from the half court and are not a team that scores the 3 ball or even shoots it that much. I do think that plays into Maryland's defense. Containing Coffey is the key to beating Minnesota as he appears to be the reason for Minnesota's turn around from last year. I thought this line would be a little higher in Minnesota's favor. From a betting perspective, I have to think that Maryland will start slowly once again so I am going back to the FH:

Minnesota Pk FH

Do not see Maryland recovering as fast from a slow start on this court. I know I may be pressing my luck coming back to this bet, but the Rutgers FH was an anomaly to me as Rutgers was simply awful. Do not see Minnesota playing that bad at home. The hangover from the Wisky game is some concern but enough time has passed (game was played on 1/3) that is should not affect them.

Nice call. Glad I saw your pick.

 

[bombers3737]

Maryland takes on the Golden Gophers in Minnesota

Back to back road games for Maryland after destroying Rutgers in NJ last time out. Minnesota is on a 6 game winning streak that started with beating Nebraska by 8 at home (MD beat them by 2) and kept alive last game with a huge road win against Wisconsin. So we have two teams that are feeling good about themselves coming into this one. I think Maryland is the better team and the line is telling you this as it sits at Minnesota -1.5. Maryland continues to start games poorly (even at Rutgers but they ended the first half on a huge run) and Minnesota is a very tough place to play given the configuration of their court. Minnesota relies on guard play and has a freshmen center to battle with Fernando. They rely on scoring from the half court and are not a team that scores the 3 ball or even shoots it that much. I do think that plays into Maryland's defense. Containing Coffey is the key to beating Minnesota as he appears to be the reason for Minnesota's turn around from last year. I thought this line would be a little higher in Minnesota's favor. From a betting perspective, I have to think that Maryland will start slowly once again so I am going back to the FH:

Minnesota Pk FH

Do not see Maryland recovering as fast from a slow start on this court. I know I may be pressing my luck coming back to this bet, but the Rutgers FH was an anomaly to me as Rutgers was simply awful. Do not see Minnesota playing that bad at home. The hangover from the Wisky game is some concern but enough time has passed (game was played on 1/3) that is should not affect them.

amazing!

 

[Keith 1]

Wow. Just wow. :11jackson

 

[Vig]

Great capping my friend!

 

[BASON]

Thanks guys, appreciate it.

Good win for Maryland. I was out and could not get a second half bet in on my phone, but I wanted to play MD. They are doing a good job of winning games they should win, but the tough part of their schedule is coming up so we will see what they are made of.

 

[tt boy]

Hoosiers getting 3 1st half ???

 

[BASON]

Maryland is back at home tonight against the Indiana Hoosiers.

Maryland has a lot of momentum coming into this home game against 22 ranked Indiana after back to back road wins. While Indiana is ranked, I think Maryland is the better team. Indiana has only 1 road win at Penn State with road losses to Arkansas, Duke and Michigan. Notable home wins include Louisville and Marquette. It is a big game for both teams to prove they belong in the top part of the league. Maryland has a tough schedule coming up so it is a very big game for them in my opinion, especially with such a young team.

On paper these two teams have almost identical statistics so this should be a tightly contested game. Indiana is all about their freshman star Langford and their senior Morgan. Maryland's ability to guard Langford is a key to this game. His is somewhat similar to Palmer from Nebraska who gave Maryland fits so he is certainly a concern. Morgan has been a little bit of a surprise but has been a key for them this year. Indiana is a great shooting team from inside the arc. Their downside is that that have no bench really to speak of, so if they get in foul trouble they are at a disadvantage.

The key to Maryland's recent success has been freshman Jalen Smith. He is really starting to play better and is a very troublesome match up for every team since he is 6'10" and can play on the perimeter. All the Maryland freshman are getting better game to game which is creating some much needed depth. Cowan had his best game in Minnesota, and if he plays like that every game, Maryland will be a tough team to beat. Was very surprised, but encouraged, to see Turgeon switch to a zone defense against Minnesota which proved to be very effective. He probably only did it because of foul trouble but it worked. They also finished the game better than any all season, which has been an issue for them all year long.

The other issue has been poor starts which has been very profitable for us. However, Indiana has the same problem, so it is tough for me to take a side in the first half. The key to this game will be Maryland's defense and Indiana staying out of foul trouble. I think Turgeon will use his bench to try to get them into foul trouble. I like Maryland's confidence coming into this one. Maryland has a winter term so the student body is not really there, but the Friday night game (can not really remember then ever playing Friday night) should hopefully draw a big crowd, but I do not think it will be as strong a home court as usual.

All of this said, I think this is a tough one to cap. I pegged the line at MD-5 and it is at 6 right now. I am staying away from the line. I think Maryland is the better team, and if they play like they did in Minnesota, they should run away with this one in the second half. I am going with a play on the total tonight.

Maryland Ov 143 -120

Indiana shoots the ball well and I think MD will struggle a little defending Langford and Morgan. Maryland should be able to capitalize on their inside advantage and hopefully hit some outside shots. While they are not a great outside shooting team, they are confident right now, so I am expecting this is be a very well played game with some points, especially in the second half.

 

[Keith 1]

Another winner ! Thank you Bason. You da Terp man :firing:

 

[BASON]

Thanks!

Great win by MD. If they ever learn how to play the whole game they are a tough team to beat. Have to hope it gets better, but Turgeon has to find a way to get them ready to play from the start. Smith learned some lessons in this one as he was out muscled all game long. Fernando was fantastic and simply dominated the game. Cowan should have just sat on the bench for the first half, but was great in the second half.

Langford is still a little raw, but he looks like a definite lottery pick to me as he is exactly the type of player the NBA is looking for.

Of course the FH bet would have won once again and probably should have just stuck with that. May have to just keep playing it until it looses. MD second halves have also been fantastic. I am not home for many of these games, so I can not post, but I almost always play Maryland in the second half, especially when they are losing.

Wisconsin at home is next up.

 

[BASON]

Busy day today, so no time for long write-ups. I should have posted early this morning as that is when I bet this and the line has gotten hammered. I saw the total at 136.5/64 this morning and now it is 131/61.5. That is a serious money move. I bet the FH Un 64 this morning but I am not as comfortable at 61.5 so I am going back to the old reliable for this post.

Wisconsin +2 FH

No reason to think MD starts any different than they have every game this year. Wisconsin can play some defense so my guess is that it takes them a while to recover once again. I have watched Wisconsin play a couple times and they are not that impressive. Happ is basically their whole team and Fernando is much more athletic than he is. My guess is Maryland will go right at Happ and try to get him in foul trouble. IF Maryland plays like they have in recent games I think they win this easily as they are the better overall team, but with their youth you never exactly know what you going to get. They are confident though, so I am expecting a similar game to Indiana. If they are down at the half I will bet them in the second half.

 

[tt boy]

anything tonight B... I just played State -2 1st half:mj08:

 

[BASON]

Sorry, not much time tonight

Maryland Under 140 -120

The one thing Ohio State does well is play defense so MD will likely struggle some offensively tonight. Staying away from the side. It is hard to forget Ohio State losing to Rutgers while Maryland destroyed them. Maybe it was just an off night, but I do not think Ohio State is that good. If Maryland can play 40 minutes they should be able to keep the streak going and win this one, but I think we see an ugly game like the last one. 67-64 type game either way.

 

[BASON]

Bizzaro half. Maryland completely lights it up from the floor (63%) and from 3 (70%! 7-10), but gives up 7 offensive boards or they would be up by much more.

Under looks bad so will make a play at the half

Ohio St -3.5 SH

I do not think Maryland has had a better shooting half in a long time and they are only up by 7. Only thing that scares me is that Cowan and Fernando have not had great halves and they usually are a good second half team, but no way they can keep up this shooting pace.

 

[tt boy]

state is really bad