Florida vs Maryland Odds, Lines and Spread (Dec. 12)

• The #20 Florida Gators are 5.5-point favorites over the Maryland Terrapins in an NCAA men’s basketball game slated for Sunday, December 12
• Scheduled as the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational, the game is being played at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY
• The Terrapins and Gators have split two previous meetings

The Florida Gators and Maryland Terrapins don’t often play each other. However, when they do, it’s led to some entertaining basketball.

Florida won the first-ever meeting 69-64 at Maryland in 2002. A year later at Florida, the Terrapins and Gators worked overtimer. Maryland ended up prevailing 69-68.

That also means the home team is 0-2 in this season. That won’t come into play when they meet again on Sunday. The Terps and Gators are clashing in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Oddsmakers are setting the #20-ranked Gators as 5.5-point favorites over Maryland. The Terrapins are 2-7 against the spread this season.

#20 Florida vs Maryland Odds

Odds as of December 11th at FanDuel.  Stay up to date with the latest on MD online sports betting as legalization nears. Keep tabs on these Maryland sportsbook promos for the biggest sign-up bonuses come game day!

Tipoff for Sunday’s game at the Barclays Center is 4:30pm ET. The game is being broadcast by the Big Ten Network.

Florida Gators Betting Trends

The Gators were an unbeaten 6-0, including a 71-68 triumph over #21 Ohio State. That was prior to successive losses to Oklahoma, and then a stunning setback against 0-7 Texas Southern. They whipped North Florida 85-55 in their last game to improve to 7-2.

Senior forward Colin Castleton is Florida’s most dominant performer. The 6-foot-11 Castleton is averaging 15.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. Graduate student guard Philandrous Fleming is scoring 10.6 points per game. Senior guard Myreon Jones is also in double digits, putting up 10.4 points per game. Jones is their big man from outside the stripe. He’s connecting on 33% (17-of-51) of his 3-point field goals.

Dialed ☎️#GoGators | #GatorsHoop pic.twitter.com/HV7SOlNjn4

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) December 12, 2021

The Gators are shooting only 41.8 percent overall and just 19.7 from the 3-point line over their past three games. Already with the victory over the Buckeyes, Florida hasn’t posted multiple wins against Big Ten teams in the same season since 2006-07. Florida leads the SEC in 3-point percentage defense (.268) and ranks second in scoring defense (59.1), steals (10.9) and turnover margin (+5.9).

Maryland Terrapins Betting Trends

Maryland was ranked among the top 25 to start the season. Now however, the Terps have lost three in a row and are 5-4 on the campaign. They haven’t lost four in a row since the 2004-05 season. Opening Big Ten play in their last game, Maryland fell 67-61 to the Northwestern Wildcats.

The slow start no doubt played a role in the resignation of Terrapins head coach Mark Turgeon eight games into the season. Former Wake Forest coach and one-time legendary NCAA player Danny Manning is Maryland’s interim coach. He only joined the staff eight months ago. Maryland is 1-1 straight up in neutral site games this season.

Danny Manning: "Our staff has just been talking to our guys and giving them a chance to express themselves, making sure that we see how they're doing. We told them the other day: 'It's a two-way street. Y'all got to come check on the coaches, too!'"

— Emily Giambalvo (@EmilyGiam) December 10, 2021

Senior guard Eric Ayala  is averaging 13.1 points and 4.7 rebounds to pace the Maryland attack.  But he’s gone off for double digits just once over the three-game skid, shooting a disappointing 21% from the field. Ayala is knocking down 29% from 3-point range (18-of-62). He’s 8-for-29 (27.58%) from beyond the arc over the past five games.

Graduate student guard Fatts Russell (12.1), and junior forwards Qudus Wahab (11.1) and Donta Scott (10.2) are also scoring in double digits. Scott paces Maryland in rebounding with 7.7 boards per game. Russell leads in assists (33), and freshman forward Julian Reese has a team-high 13 blocks.

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Terrapins vs Gators Prediction

Maryland is 5-0 straight up this season when scoring at least 68 points. The Terrapins are 0-4 when they don’t get to 68 points on the scoreboard.

Florida owns a perfect 6-0 slate when pulling down a minimum of 11 offensive boards. The Gators are just 1-2 when they come up shy of that number in terms of offensive rebounds.

Out here

🏠 Barclays Center
📍Brooklyn, NY pic.twitter.com/5oADbr9yKt

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) December 12, 2021

Tenacious Florida is forcing turnovers by opponents on 26.4% of all possessions. That ranks 14th in the nation. Meanwhile, Maryland is forcing opposition turnovers on just 16.7% of all possessions. That leaves the Terps ranked 307th in the country in this category.

Pick: Florida Gators -5.5 (-102).