The Maryland Terrapins are taking on the Kansas Jayhawks tonight in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The game is being played inside the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky and has a start time of 9:40 p.m., where it will be televised nationally on CBS. Currently the Vegas odds for the game have the Jayhawks favored by 6.5 points to pick up the win and advance.
Kansas, the top overall seed in the tournament, they beat both Austin Peay and Connecticut to reach this point. Both of those games were lopsided early, the Jayhawks held a healthy lead over Connecticut in the round of 32, only to see the Huskies come back and at least make it an interesting game late.
Maryland, on the other hand, has been pushed in both of their games. The Terps had a real competitive game against both South Dakota State and Hawaii, that could give them a competitive edge in this one against the Jayhawks, with their starters logging a lot of minutes and playing meaningful time on the floor late in the game.
The Terps have five starters that average double digits per game, led by Melo Trimble and his near 15 points per game. Trimble loves to push the pace and give Maryland an offense in transition, something Kansas can also do but certainly the Jayhawks want to play in a half-court set.
The Jayhawk guards are experienced and provide Bill Self with an excellent duo as Wayne Selden Jr. and Frank Mason III give them arguably the best 1-2 guard punch left in the tournament.
The different here tonight could be on the defensive end, where Kansas is much better. The Jayhawks rank fifth-best in the country in defensive efficiency numbers, Maryland isn’t bad but sits 36th in the country. If this turns into a physical battle Kansas should be able to match up with Maryland and get solid play from their guards.
Free Pick: Kansas
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