Wisconsin (12-6 SU, 8-10 ATS, 4-4 B10) travels to College Park to take on Maryland (12-7 SU, 12-7 ATS, 3-5 B10) at 7pmET on Wednesday night in B10 action.
These teams already met on Dec. 6, 2022, with the Badgers winning 64-59 as a 2.5-point favorite.
Ben is 30-21-1 his last 52 picks in college basketball and 25-15-2 over his last 42 in the NBA. That's after a tough loss on Miami, who won by three giving 4 (line moved to 2.5 late) and a push on New Orleans. He offers his top pick and a three-pack tonight. Don't miss it!
Badgers struggle on offense
Forward Tyler Wahl returned after an ankle injury to help Wisconsin beat Penn State 63-60. He scored 10 points and grabbed five boards. The 6-9 forward added 11 points and five boards with three assists on Monday against Northwestern, but the Badgers fell 66-63 in their makeup game on the road. Wisconsin missed nine of their last 10 shots and there lies the problem with a team that is 66th in the latest Net Rankings. Wisconsin shot just 39% from the field and 32% (10 of 31) from beyond the arc. Jordan Davis led the Badgers with 15 points and also had six rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting.
“Work harder.
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) January 24, 2023
"Keep your head down.
"Keep going.”
Career night for @jordan_davis_23 📈 pic.twitter.com/02tbINaX5u
When looking at the Big 10 stats, Wisconsin's biggest problem is on the boards, where they rank last (14th) in rebounding margin (-3.6). They shoot just 42.4% from the field (296th), but are solid from the three-point line shooting 36.2% (70th). Defensively, they are allowing 43.2% shooting and 33% from beyond the arc. Wahl leads the Badgers with 12.8 points per game on 41.2% shooting (25% 3pt). Steven Crowl and Chucky Hepburn average 12.7 points per game apiece. Hepburn is struggling from the field (39.4%0, but is leading the team with 46.3% from long ragne and with 3.4 assists.
Terps edged by No. 3 Purdue 58-55
Maryland's defense almost carried them to an upset win over Purdue on Sunday. The Terps came into Purdue off a 64-58 revenge win over Michigan on Jan. 19, but they have failed to find consistency. A win would have given the now 45th-ranked Terrapins (Net Rankings) a major victory for their tournament resume'. Instead, Maryland shot just 14% (3-of-21) from long range and fell 58-55. They held a very good shooting Boilermarkers' team to just 38% shooting (2-13 3pt) and forced 15 turnovers with their full-court pressure. They also came back from a 16-point deficit to nearly upset a top-5 team. Sophomore big man Julian Reese, who had struggled in conference play, finished with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting against 7-4 Zach Edey.
Brought the Baltimore mentality to Mackey
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) January 23, 2023
JuJu 📈 pic.twitter.com/AchffJ2cBc
Overall, Maryland's biggest weakness is three-point shooting as they are making just 30.1% (13th in B10) this season. Defensively, they are holding teams to just 29.8% from long range to rank second in the Big 10. They do rank last in the conference in assist/turnover ratio at 0.89. Point guard Jahmir Young, a transfer from Charlotte, leads the Terps with 15.5 points per game and 3.0 assists on 41.3% shooting (25% 3pt). Forward Donta Scott adds 11.8 points and 6.1 rebounds on 40.8% shooting (29.3% 3pt).
Best Bets for this Game
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
This is a big game for both teams, currently on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin is the better three-point shooting team by far and that's where it's tough to pick Maryland as a decent favorite. They are also at home, which is a good thing, but at 7pmET, half of their crowd will be stuck in D.C. traffic on I-95. I get the fatigue factor part for the Badgers, but they don't run up and down the floor. They have a little more size with Wahl and the 7-foot Crowl. Maryland actually outrebounded Wisconsin in the first meeting and shot 10-of-24 from beyond the arc and still lost the game. They won't shoot the three that well in this game.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
Maryland will run some but their Adjusted Tempo according to KenPom is still slow (259th). Wisconsin is as methodical as it gets at 345th in Adjusted Tempo. They've gone under in three of their last five against Maryland. They've scored 69 or less points in six straight games and are averaging just 61.3 points per game in that span. Maryland has gone under in three straight and seven of their last eight games.