Caleb Wilfinger

Maryland is finally showing some life late in the season, winning back-to-back games with victories over the Minnesota Golden Gophers and a solid Iowa Hawkeyes squad. The Maryland Terrapins will look to make it three straight as they travel to New Jersey to face a struggling Rutgers Scarlet Knights team. Rutgers has dropped seven in a row, averaging just 70.9 points per game during that stretch while allowing 84.3, a significant jump from their season average. 

Meanwhile, Maryland has ramped up its defensive pressure, holding Minnesota to 62 points and Iowa to 70 in their last two outings. The one player to keep an eye on in this matchup is Andre Mills, who is coming off his best game of the season, dropping 24 points and snagging five rebounds for the Terrapins. For Rutgers, getting Tariq Francis involved will be critical, as he’s averaging 16.5 points per game. However, Dylan Grant has struggled down the stretch for Rutgers, reaching double figures just three times since January. This should be a competitive matchup between two teams near the bottom of the Big Ten Conference standings, but Maryland has the slight edge. They bring more depth, a slight rebounding advantage, and momentum on their side. In their last 10 games, these two teams are 5-5 against each other. However, at the end of the day, I’m going to side with the road team to keep this game close. 

Maryland vs Rutgers prediction: Maryland +2.5 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Utah Utes and the Cincinnati Bearcats will face off on Sunday for a Big 12 Conference showdown. Utah is just 9-15 on the season and are the worst team in the conference up to this point. They have lost six straight games and have just one win throughout conference play. Cincinnati started Big 12 play slow but have been playing much better basketball as of late and have won two straight games. Neither team is a projected tournament team, but Cincinnati is playing like one and I am backing them in this game.

The spread is currently set at Cincinnati -11.5 and that is my best bet of the game. I like the Bearcats to cover that spread because they are operating as a middle of the pack team in the league and have one of the best defenses in the country. Since February 1^st, Cincinnati is ranked #12 nationally at Bart Torvik compared to Utah at #160. Their defense has been elite all season and should flex its muscles against Utah’s offense. According to KenPom, the Bearcats defense is ranked #10 in adjusted defensive efficiency. Take Cincinnati to cover here.

*Cincinnati -11.5 available at time of publishing. Playable at -12*

The Seton Hall Pirates will travel to Indianapolis on Sunday to play a Big East Conference game against the Butler Bulldogs. Neither team is projected to be an NCAA Tournament team now, but things can change quickly with a few wins in a row. The Pirates are coming off a win against Providence and will look for their second straight win here. The Bulldogs have lost five straight games and are just 4-10 in the league. It should be a close affair in Hinkle Fieldhouse, but my best bet of the game is the under.

The total is currently set at 141.5 points and the under is my best bet. I like the under in this game because Seton Hall has one of the worst offenses in the country and will try to muck this game up as much as possible. The total has gone under in 60 percent of Seton Hall’s games this season and I expect that trend to continue here. According to KenPom, Seton Hall’s offense is ranked #314 in effective field goal percentage, #301 in three-point percentage and #298 in two-point percentage. Offense should be hard to come by in this one, so take the under.

*Under 141.5 available at time of publishing. Playable at 140*