Maryland vs. LSU Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
It’s a chalk East Region matchup on Saturday from Jacksonville, Fla., for a spot in the Sweet 16 as No. 6 Maryland faces off against No. 3 LSU, which is the Sports Interaction favourite to advance.
Maryland (6) vs. LSU (3) NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The Big Ten led all conferences with eight schools in the 2019 NCAA Tournament, the most in Big Ten history. And, boy, did the Big Ten have a great Thursday with its schools going 5-0. However, on Saturday at least one Big Ten team will lose because No. 10 Minnesota and No. 2 Michigan State face off. The winner of this No. 6 Maryland vs. No. 3 LSU matchup would play either the Gophers or Spartans in the Sweet 16.
LSU hasn’t reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2006, while Maryland hasn’t since 2015. It’s the fourth meeting between these schools, last in January 1989, and first in the NCAA Tournament. They have split the four.
The Terps didn’t play any SEC schools this season, while the Tigers haven’t faced a Big Ten team. Maryland is 7-3 ATS in its past 10 vs. the SEC, while LSU has covered four straight vs. the Big Ten.
Maryland Terrapins
A popular first-round upset pick was No. 11 Belmont to knock off the No. 6 Terps after Belmont won impressively in the First Four, but Maryland eked out a 79-77 decision. Belmont had a potential chance to win in the final seconds, but Darryl Morsell stole a pass and was fouled. He hit one of two free throws and the Bruins never got a good shot off before the buzzer. Maryland hit just 6-for-22 from deep and missed seven of 20 free throws, numbers that likely won’t work against LSU. Star big man Bruno Fernando, a probable first-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, had 14 points and 13 rebounds. Jalen Smith, one of the Big Ten’s best freshmen, had 19 points and 12 rebounds. This team generally wins in the paint.
Louisiana State Tigers
SEC regular-season champion LSU remains without suspended head coach Will Wade, who likely won’t ever return to the team in the wake of alleged major recruiting violations. The Tigers improved to 2-1 without Wade with a 79-74 victory over Ivy League champion Yale on Thursday. LSU led by as many as 18, but Yale went nuts from behind the arc late to make things interesting. Skylar Mays hit four free throws in the final 15 seconds for LSU and led the team with 19 points. Naz Reid (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Kavell Bigby-Williams (10 points, 10 rebounds) had double-doubles. LSU had 40 points in the paint against smaller Yale and held Bulldogs star and Ivy League Player of the Year Miye Oni to just five points on 2-for-16 shooting. LSU is one of the most athletic teams in the tournament. One of those stellar athletes is 6-foot-6 Marlon Taylor, who locked down Oni.
