The beginning of the college basketball season happens tonight and the No. 18 Connecticut Huskies will take on the Maryland Terrapins. The game is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Currently the odds for the game have the Huskies favored to win.
Connecticut opened as a nine-point favorite to win this game, but it's since come down to around five points. The books obviously are just opening prices up for college basketball as it starts today, and based on several of the line movements they set the wrong number. This appears to be one of those games, where a lot of money is coming in for the Maryland cover.
This game is being played at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Kevin Ollie and the Connecticut Huskies can actually play in the NCAA Tournament this season, and the pollsters have recognized their pretty solid 2012 campaign, putting them 18th overall in the rankings.
Maryland is coming off a season where they didn't make the NCAA Tournament either, but they weren't put on ban like UConn was. The Huskies have some players back, including their starting backcourt from last season in Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright. That will already put them ahead of most teams in the country this season, having an experienced group of guards that decided to come back to school.
This game is going to come down to rebounding. Connecticut was one of the worst teams in the country last season at swiping the glass. In fact, they were out-rebounded last season on average 37-33 in games. The Huskies ranked 290th in the country in rebounding. The Huskies will want to improve on the front court, where they do have several bodies but have some inexperience.
Maryland won 25 games last season and has to replace Alex Len, who ended up being a lottery pick in the NBA Draft. Leading scorer Dez Wells comes back and he tossed in an average of 13 points per game a year ago. The Terps have a couple of solid forwards in Shaquille Cleare and Charles Mitchell. They could be a big impact on tonight's game with the inexperience of Connecticut on the front line.
Look for a solid game between a couple of clubs looking to start the season on a good note. We think Maryland will be able to keep this one close as they can defend, rebound and play well on the inside.
Free Pick: Connecticut 68, Maryland 64
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