Maryland Terrapins vs. Virginia Cavaliers Picks and Prediction for Saturday, December 20, 2025
Use Code WWWC It’s a contest on the hardwood between power conference foes as the Maryland Terrapins travel to the Old Dominion to battle the #23 Virginia Cavaliers Saturday evening and we have you covered with our Maryland vs. Virginia prediction. Maryland fell 101-83 to #2 Michigan at home in their previous contest last Saturday, covering the line as a 19-point underdog. Virginia downed UMES 84-60 at home in their previous contest December 9, failing to cover the line as a 37.5-point favorite. In the all-time series between the teams on the hardwood, the Terrapins own a 108-76 advantage but the Cavaliers have taken the last two, including a 76-71 road win in the most recent matchup November 28, 2018. Read more about this Maryland vs. Virginia prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Try our NCAAB Predictions!
Maryland Trying to Regain Early Season Momentum
Maryland started the year strong but comes into this one losers of two straight and four of their last five after falling at home to #2 Michigan in their previous contest. The Terrapins enter this game 6-5 overall and are 0-2 in Big Ten action on the year. Against Michigan, Maryland led by five at the half and by as many as nine with 18:48 remaining before things unraveled. The Terrapins took their last lead at 63-62 with 14:11 to play before giving up a 26-10 run that left them down 88-73 with 6:32 to go en route to the loss. Maryland shot 49.2% from the field, including 14 of 27 from beyond the arc, while allowing Michigan to shoot 60.3% in the contest. David Coit led the Terrapins with 31 points and six rebounds in the loss.
The Terrapins enter this game average in scoring offense as they are 180th with an average of 77.6 points per game. Maryland is 195th in rebounding with 36.5 boards a night and 343rd in assists by dishing out 11.1 dimes per contest. The Terrapins are below average defensively, ranking 322nd in scoring defense as they allow 80.5 points a night. Pharrel Payne leads the team with 17.5 points plus 7.2 rebounds a night this season. David Coit (14.8 points, 2.6 assists) and Darius Adams (12.6 points) each average in double figures. Andre Mills, Myles Rice, Elijah Saunders, Solomon Washington, Isaiah Watts, George Turkson Jr., Aleks Alston, Guillermo Del Pino and Collin Metcalf are looked at to contribute for coach Buzz Williams. Maryland shoots 41.4% from the floor as a team this season. The Terrapins are connecting on 8.2 threes per contest while shooting 33.2% from beyond the arc. Maryland is above average at the stripe as the team is converting 75.2% of their chances at the free throw line this season.
Key Injury Report for Maryland:
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- Forward Pharrel Payne (leg) is questionable.
Cavaliers Seeking to Maintain Hot Start
Virginia ran their win streak to four as they took care of UMES at home their last time out, with each of those wins coming by double figures. The Cavaliers improved to 9-1 on the year with the victory and look to carry that momentum with them here. Against UMES, Virginia scored the game’s first seven points and was in control from there as they led wire-to-wire. The Cavaliers were up 46-32 at the half and led by as many as 29 en route to the victory. Virginia shot 48.4% from the field, including 13 of 31 from three-point range, and forced 15 turnovers in the win. Sam Lewis led the Cavaliers with 15 points in the contest.
The Cavaliers come into this game putting up an average of 87.1 points a game this season, which is 46th in the nation. Virginia grabs 42 boards a night (24th) while dishing out an average of 16.9 assists per contest. The Cavaliers are stifling defensively: they enter this contest 57th in the nation in scoring defense by allowing a measly 67.5 points per game. Thijs De Ridder leads the team with 16.1 points plus six rebounds per game this season. Chance Mallory (11.7 points, 4.7 rebounds), Sam Lewis (9.9 points, 4.1 rebounds) and Ugonna Onyenso are solid secondary scoring options. Malik Thomas (11.8 points, 3.2 rebounds), Jacari White (10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds), Johann Grunloh (9.2 points, 7.2 rebounds), Dallin Hall, Elijah Gertrude and Martin Carrere all log key minutes for Ryan Odom’s squad. The Cavaliers shoot 48.8% from the field as a team on the year. Virginia connects on 11 triples per game this season while sinking 40% of their attempts from beyond the arc, which is 12th in the nation. The Cavaliers have been below average at the charity stripe, hitting 69.2% at the line so far this season, putting them 260th in the nation.
Key Injury Report for Virginia:
- No Key Injuries
Maryland vs. Virginia Pick
Maryland vs. Virginia Spread Pick
- Virginia -16.5 (4 units)
Maryland started the year 5-1 but has dropped four of their last five entering this contest. Four of the Terrapins’ six wins are against teams ranked 301st or worse in the KenPom rankings. They’ve played five teams ranked in the top 100 of the KenPom rankings and the numbers aren’t pretty. Maryland is 0-5 in those games, getting outscored by 119 points with none of them decided by less than 10 points. Virginia has four straight wins, each by double figures, including a 19-point triumph at Texas earlier this month. The Cavaliers are dangerous offensively and deadly from the perimeter. Look for Virginia to come up with the win here as they roll to their 10th win of the year.
Maryland vs. Virginia Over/Under Pick
- Over 152.5 (4 units)
Maryland enters this game having seen the over post a 9-2 mark in their 11 games on the year. The Terrapins are 306th in effective field goal percentage defense (55.3%), 271st in two-point defense (53.2%) and 356th in three-point defense (38.8%) on the season. Maryland is a fast-paced team as they are 158th in the nation in tempo with an average of 69.6 possessions per game. Virginia is 14th in offensive efficiency, 22nd in effective field goal percentage (58%), fifth in offensive rebounding percentage (41.9%), 86th in free throws made per game (17.3) and 93rd in two-point shooting (56.3%) on the year. The Cavaliers are 232nd in tempo with 68 possessions a night this season. Virginia has gone over the total in six of their 10 games on the year. With the way Maryland is giving up points and Virginia’s hot shooting, this game winds up over the number.
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