The Maryland Terrapins and the Florida Gators meet Thursday in college basketball action from the Chase Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Maryland vs. Florida prediction.
Matchup History
The lone recent meeting between these two teams happened on December 12th, 2021, in Maryland and was a 70-68 win for the Terrapins.
Maryland Recap
The Maryland Terrapins come into the sweet 16 fresh off of their buzzer-beating win over Colorado State by a final score of 72-71.
Terrapins Hunting For First Elite Eight Appearance Since 2002
Derik Queen leads the Terps in scoring with 16.3 PPG along with 9 RPG while Ja’Kobi Gillespie has 14.7 PPG with a team-high 5 APG to lead the Terrapins in the assist department. Rodney Rice has 13.9 PPG and Selton Miguel has 12 PPG, while Julian Reese has 13.1 PPG with a team-high 9 RPG to lead the Terrapins on the glass and to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Maryland so far this season. As a team, Maryland is averaging 81.7 PPG on 47.2% shooting from the field, 37.2% from three and 75.5% from the foul line this season.
Why the Maryland Terrapins will win
- Maryland has won each of its last nine games against non-Conference opponents.
- Florida has lost four of its last five NCAA Tournament games against Top 4 Seeds.
Florida Recap
The Florida Gators booked their spot in the Sweet 16 after knocking off the then two-time defending champion UConn Huskies by a final score of 77-75.
Gators Fishing For First Elite Eight Trip Since 2017
Walter Clayton Jr. leads the Gators in scoring and assists with 17.5 PPG and 4.3 APG along with 3.8 RPG while Alijah Martin has 14.5 PPG with 4.6 RPG and 2.3 APG. Will Richard has 13.6 PPG with 4.5 RPG and 1.7 SPG and Alex Condon’s added 11.2 PPG with a team-high 7.9 RPG to lead Florida on the glass and to round out the group of double-digit scorers for Florida so far this season. Thomas Haugh also has 9.4 PPG with 6 RPG and Denzel Aberdeen has 8 PPG and Rueben Chinyelu has 6.5 RPG as well on the year. As a team, Florida is averaging 85.4 PPG on 47.3% shooting from the field, 35.5% from three and 71.8% from the foul line this season.
Why the Florida Gators will win
- Florida has won each of its last 15 games against non-Conference opponents.
- Maryland has lost 13 of its last 14 games against Top 5 AP-ranked opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Maryland’s last nine games against non-Conference opponents at neutral venues have produced a total of 151 or fewer points.
- Each of Florida’s last six day games against non-Conference opponents have produced a total of 152 or fewer points.
Maryland vs. Florida Prediction
I’m on Florida in this one. I get the case to be made for Maryland here as the Terps are a solid lineup, but I feel like Maryland is really top-heavy in terms of relying on their top guys for production. There’s not a lot of depth within the Terrapins’ lineup, and I think that the Gators test that here. I just feel like Florida continues to be the better team and I think they’ll be too much for Maryland in this game. Give me the Gators laying the points in this one.