Two teams trying to regain their March traditions battle on Saturday as the seventh-seeded Connecticut Huskies (15-7) play the 10th-seeded Maryland Terrapins (16-13). The winner advances to face the winner of the Alabama-Iona matchup in the second round.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm ET on CBS, and the game will be played at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.
These programs have combined for five titles in the last 25 years but have gone head-to-head just seven times in their history. Two of those meetings came in March, with Connecticut winning a 1995 Sweet 16 game and Maryland getting the win in the 2002 East Region final.
Terrapins Hang Hat on Defense
Maryland is 12-16 ATS on the season, and the under is 15-12-1 in its 28 games. The Terrapins are 5-7 away from home this season, including a 1-3 mark in Indiana. Maryland has been outrebounded on the season, and it ranks 242nd in the nation in scoring 68.9 points per game.
The Terrapins have the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in Darryl Morsell, and he will likely cover Connecticut star James Bouknight. Guard Eric Ayala leads the team in scoring at 14.9 points per game, with guard Aaron Wiggins right behind him at 14.0.
Wiggins showed the ability to carry the team down the stretch with 26 points against Northwestern, 19 against Michigan State, and 43 combined in two games against Nebraska in mid-February.
When the Terrapins stumbled in February, it was on the offensive end, as they scored just 55 and 61 in losses to Northwestern and Penn State, respectively. Outside of those two losses, they are 6-1 since Feb. 14, winning by an average of 12.2 points per game.
Huskies Rely on Bouknight
Connecticut is 16-5-1 ATS this season, and it is 9-4 away from home. The Huskies’ defense has been stellar all season, ranking 21st in rebounds allowed (27.8), 52nd in scoring defense (65.2) and 70th in three-point shooting defense (31.6%).
The Huskies are plus-seven on the boards for the season, and the offense put up at least 80 points in three of their last five games.
Bouknight missed eight games between Jan. 6 and Feb. 16 but returned for the final eight games of the season, with the Huskies going 6-2. He leads the team at 19 points per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 81.3 percent from the line.
Bouknight went for at least 20 points in four of his final five regular-season games and bagged a season-high 40 against Creighton in December.
Connecticut got good news this week when second-leading scorer R.J. Cole was cleared from concussion protocol. Cole averages 12.3 points per game with a team-leading 4.4 assists, while Tyrese Martin scores 10.7 and leads the team with 7.3 rebounds per game.
The defense is key for the Huskies. In addition to their rebounding prowess, they led the Big East in blocking 5.3 shots per game but have a tendency to get into foul trouble. Connecticut isn’t terribly deep, with only six players appearing in more than 16 games this season.
Betting Analysis
Maryland had success against teams like Michigan State and Rutgers as it got into the paint and knocked down open shots. That could be tough against a Huskies team with good size and strong shot-blockers.
If Bouknight is on, this could turn into a double-digit win for the favorites.
Free Pick: Connecticut
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