College Basketball Picks

Maryland vs Rutgers 1/15/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-6) vs. Maryland Terrapins (9-7)
January 15, 2022 2:00 pm EDT
The Line: Maryland Terrapins -5.5 / Rutgers Scarlet Knights +5.5 ; Over/Under: 134.5
(Get latest betting odds)

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights will travel to the XFINITY Center to take on the Maryland Terrapins this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights had their 4-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 9-6 on the season after being defeated by the Penn State Nittany Lions, 66-49, this past Tuesday. Rutgers struggled on the offensive end against Penn State and could not fight back after the Nittany Lions took a 49-36 lead with 7:05 left in regulation. Rutgers shot 33.9% from the field & 26.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Penn State to shoot 43.3% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Scarlet Knights was Clifford Omoruyi who had a double-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks, & 1 steal.

On the season, Rutgers is averaging 68.9 ppg on 43.2% shooting from the field. The Scarlet Knights are averaging 6.1 three-pointers per game on 33.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Rutgers has been led by Ron Harper Jr. (15.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.5 spg), Clifford Omoruyi (11.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg), Geo Baker (11.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.0 spg), & Paul Mulcahy (6.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.2 spg).

Defensively, Rutgers is holding their opponents to an average of 65.5 ppg on 41.2% shooting from the field. The Scarlet Knights have a rebound margin of 2.5 and a turnover margin of 0.9.

The Maryland Terrapins snapped a 3-game losing streak and improved to 9-7 on the season after defeating the Northwestern Wildcats, 94-87 (2OT), this past Wednesday. Maryland allowed Northwestern to fight back from a 72-66 deficit with just :15 seconds left in regulation to force OT, however, the Terrapins were able to still secure the victory after a Fatts Russell jumper gave Maryland an 89-85 lead with 3:10 left in the 2nd OT. Maryland shot 42.3% from the field & 32.3% from beyond the arc while holding Northwestern to just 39.3% shooting from the field & 25.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Terrapins was Eric Ayala who had a double-double with 26 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, & 1 steal.

On the season, Maryland is averaging 71.6 ppg on 42.9% shooting from the field. The Terrapins are averaging 6.4 three-pointers per game on 31.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Maryland has been led by Eric Ayala (16.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.1 apg), Fatts Russell (13.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.1 apg), Donta Scott (11.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.2 apg), & Hakim Hart (10.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.7 spg).

Defensively, Maryland is allowing their opponents to average 68.9 ppg on 40.7% shooting from the field. The Terrapins have a rebound margin of 2.8 and a turnover margin of -1.7.

The Scarlet Knights are just 5-10 ATS in their last 15 games and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 road games. The Terrapins are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games at home, however, are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 Saturday home games.

Rutgers has been led by their defense which comes into this game ranked t-95th in scoring defense & 104th in defensive FG%, however, the Scarlet Knights haven’t been great offensively on the year as they currently rank just 250th in scoring offense, 231st in FG%, & 197th in 3P-FG%. Maryland has been led by their defense which ranks 181st in scoring defense, 78th in FG%, & 92nd in blocks per game, however, like Rutgers, the Terrapins have struggled on the offensive end and currently rank just 193rd in scoring offense, 244th in FG%, & 259th in 3P-FG%.

Rutgers has some signature wins over Purdue & Michigan this season, however, the Scarlet Knights are just not the same team on the road as they come into this game with an 0-5 road record. Maryland has a defense that I think is going to give Rutgers trouble in this one and as I was impressed with the Terrapins offense on the road against Northwestern earlier this week, I think Maryland does enough in this one to cover this mid-range spread. Good Luck!

Brett Nault's Free Pick: Maryland Terrapins -5.5

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Brett Nault

Brett has been involved with sports his entire life, whether playing them or betting on them, and loves using his education in data analytics to break down all matchups to get you a competitive edge. Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05

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