The No. 22 Ohio State Buckeyes (18-7) heads to College Station to face off with the Maryland Terrapins (13-15) in Big Ten play.
The Buckeyes are riding high after a thrilling 86-83 win over Illinois in Champaign on Thursday.
It’s been a season to forget for the Terrapins, but they’ll be recalling a campaign to remember as they host the 2002 National Championship Maryland team for Sunday’s showdown.
Will the Buckeyes continue to build momentum, or will the Terrapins pick up their first home victory over a ranked team this season?
Check out our college basketball picks and predictions for the Ohio State Buckeyes and Maryland Terrapins on Sunday, February 27 to find out.
Ohio State vs Maryland odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
Ohio State opened -4.5, but the line moved to -4 as of Saturday night. The total has remained steady since opening at 142.5.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
Ohio State vs Maryland predictions
Predictions made on 2/27/2022 at 12:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Ohio State vs Maryland game info
• Location: Xfinity Center, College Park, MD
• Date: Sunday, February 27, 2022
• Tip-off: 4:00 p.m. ET
• TV: CBS
Ohio State at Maryland betting preview
Injuries
Ohio State: Seth Towns F (Out), Justice Sueing F (Out).
Maryland: James Graham III F (Out).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The favorite is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings between these two schools. Find more NCAA betting trends for Ohio State vs. Maryland .
Ohio State vs Maryland picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
It’s fair to question whether this will be a letdown spot for Ohio State after Thursday’s roller coaster 86-83 win in Illinois.
The Buckeyes were down 13 points in the first half to the No. 15 Fighting Illini, then rallied all the way back to grab a 16-point second-half lead before hanging on for the narrow victory. It was an incredible display of resiliency for Chris Holtmann’s squad, which still has an outside shot at rising from fourth in the Big Ten standings toward a top-two finish.
A critical element to the Buckeyes’ recent success has been the ascendance of freshman Malaki Branham, who exploded for 31 points against the Illini. The first-year player has been scorching hot, averaging 26.7 points over his last three games on a sizzling 70% from the field. Branham’s transformation into a go-to scorer alongside star E.J. Liddell (19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds) will make this team a dangerous out come March.
The Buckeyes rank 20th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency but are much better offensively (8th) than defensively (86th). Shooting is the calling card offensively — Ohio State ranks 24th nationally in both field goal percentage (48%) and three-point percentage (37.7%).
Maryland has struggled as a team this season, going 13-15 overall and 12-16 ATS. The primary concern in this matchup is that the Terps struggle defensively, ranking 196th in field-goal percentage defense and 276th in defending the arc.
KenPom is not a fan of the Terps, who rank 91st in adjusted deficiency. They’re outside the Top 75 on both sides of the ball, ranking 77th offensively and 117th defensively. Guard Fatts Russell has been a rare bright spot, averaging 21.6 points over his last five games.
These two teams met in Columbus on Feb. 6 and the Buckeyes came away with an 82-67 win. They’re the better team by virtually every metric and have been gaining steam, going 8-2 ATS over the last 10 games. Give us the Buckeyes to cover this short spread on the road.
Prediction: Ohio State -4 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
The Buckeyes have been a profitable 15-10 to the Over this season. Liddell and Branham are the only two players to average double-digits in the scoring department, but six different players average at least one made three-pointer per game. Prolific shooting should get the job done against a porous Terps defense.
The Buckeyes are nothing special on the other side of the ball, allowing 67.4 points per game while grading out as mediocre in advanced stats.
Maryland should be able to score despite not possessing a ton of offensive firepower. Russell has been on a hot streak as alluded to earlier, and sharpshooter Eric Ayala averages 14.1 points per game. Donta Scott is the third player to average double-digits and led the way with 25 points in the initial matchup.
Both teams grade out higher on the offensive side of the ball than they do defensively, so we’re leaning toward the Over. The tempo isn’t expected to be anything crazy, but these two teams did combine for 149 points in the initial meeting.
Prediction: Over 142.5 (-110)
Best bet
Ohio State is the better team by virtually every metric.
This is a narrow spread on the road, and the better team should be able to come out on top and secure the series sweep. Maryland has the homecourt advantage but is only 4-8 ATS at home against teams with a winning percentage above .500%.
Pick: Ohio State -4 (-110)
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