This one seems like a pretty open-and-shut case with Xavier losing seven of its last 10 games after losing NBA prospect Edmond Sumner to a knee injury, but with the 11th-seeded Musketeers Sportsbook as just a 1.5-point dog, the odds say otherwise. Their opponents out of Maryland didn’t end the regular season so hot themselves, losing six of their last 10.
- Xavier is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games as an underdog.
- Maryland is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games after losing as a favorite.
- Xavier went 15-6 SU with Edmond Sumner but just 6-7 SU without him.
At a glance, it may look like Xavier got its act together at the end of the year but I’m telling you that this is false. Two of the Musketeers’ three wins in their last four games came against DePaul, a team that’s lost 14 times in its last 15 contests. Yes, their win over Butler in the first round of the Big East tournament was impressive, but in my opinion, it was a one-off that won’t be repeated in the first round of March Madness.
The Terrapins gave way to Northwestern in the Big Ten tournament and with a pretty horrendous stretch run before that, it’s clear the 20-2 record they got their year started off with was extremely fluffed up. Neither of these teams is going very far in this tournament so proceed with extreme caution.
Maryland relies heavily on Melo Trimble for offense (17 points per game) so if he’s on his game Thursday, so too should be the Terrapins.
Xavier Musketeers vs Maryland Terrapins Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
Supporters of the Xavier Musketeers have watched them go 21-13 and 15-18 ATS on the college basketball season, while the Maryland Terrapins are at 24-8 and 17-13-1 ATS. In totals betting, the Maryland Terrapins are 14-17, while the Xavier Musketeers have a 16-17 mark.
The Maryland Terrapins sit at No. 174 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Xavier Musketeers sit at No. 209 on the same chart.
Statistical Matchup
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting Xavier Musketeers rank No. 68 in NCAA Basketball Division 1 with 37.59 per game. That compares with Maryland’s No. 139 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where Maryland is college basketball's No. 76-ranked team at 8.28 per game, while the Xavier Musketeers rate No. 169 with 7.03 per game.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Xavier got 22 points from J.P. Macura but lost anyway, 75-72, to Creighton on Friday at Madison Square Garden.
Maryland got 20 points from Melo Trimble but lost anyway, 72-64, to Northwestern on Friday at Verizon Center.
