George Mason vs Maryland Odds and Picks (Nov. 16)
- No. 20 Maryland (3-0) continues its early-season home slate against the A-10’s George Mason (3-0) on Wednesday, November 17th, at 7:00 pm ET in College Park
- The Terps have handled their first three opponents at Xfinity Center, while the Patriots have also won their first three games at home
- See the current moneyline, point spread, and game total, plus predictions
The No. 20 Maryland Terrapins (3-0) are coming off a 68-57 victory against Vermont this past Saturday in a game that saw Eric Ayala and Fatts Russell each pour in a team-high 22 points. Head coach Mark Turgeon’s team has not missed either Aaron Wiggins or Darryl Morsell at all so far, thanks largely to some key new faces via the transfer portal.
Meantime, the George Mason Patriots (3-0) have come out of the gate strong in Kim English’s first season as head coach in Fairfax. Four players are averaging in double-figures in the first three games, led by Virginia native Josh Oduro’s 19.3 points per an outing clip.
The Terrapins enter Wednesday night’s tilt — set for 7:00 pm ET — as home favorites.
George Mason vs Maryland Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Mason | +680 | +12.5 (-118) | O 138.5 (-110) |
| Maryland | -1100 | -12.5 (-104) | U 138.5 (-110) |
Odds as of November 16th, 2021.
On Guard
Maryland’s starting backcourt was considered one of its strengths coming into the season — and it has played out that way early on. With returning leading scorer Eric Ayala putting up nearly identical numbers he had last year so far (15.3 points per game, compared to 15.5 in 2020-21) and the emergence of Russell (averaging a team-leading 16.3 points per game), Turgeon’s group is playing with confidence.
"I'm a big shot taker and a big shot maker."
Plz credit Daron "Fatts" Russell pic.twitter.com/LTP4rYoWBL
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) November 12, 2021
The 5-foot-10 Philly native has been fun to watch so far. And the First Team All-A-10 and All-Defense player is already playing better than he did for Rhode Island, going 33% (3-of-9) so far from distance. That’s an improvement from his 23.5% clip last year. He’s also gone 50% (13-of-26) inside the arc, up from last year’s sub-40% numbers.
Russell is electric in the open court. If he isn't the fastest player in the Big Ten, he has to be close. https://t.co/PSpbiSpAAg
— Jonathan Donville (@jdonville13) November 13, 2021
As encouraging as the guard play has been so far from an offensive perspective, Maryland’s defense stole the show against the Catamounts. The Terps clinched their eighth consecutive 3-0 start thanks to a suffocating effort, allowing Vermont only eight points in the final 8:57. After the game, Turgeon said the near-10-minute stretch was as good as any of his teams have ever played.
While perimeter shooting so far is a concern (the Terps have gone just 9-of-47 from 3-point range in the last two outings), if Ayala and Russell continue to play the way they have on both ends of the floor, GMU could be in for a long night Wednesday.
Man in the Middle
Georgetown transfer Qudus Wahab. has been solid so far as well The 6-foot-11 junior is averaging 13.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. He’s doing exactly what his head coach hoped for: providing a dominant offensive rebounder and one end, while also being a true shot-blocking presence on the other (denying 2.0 shots per game so far).
Qudus Wahab is the first player to score 15+ points in each of his first 2 games at Maryland since Steve Francis in 1998. pic.twitter.com/M6amuA0YUI
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 12, 2021
With English deploying a hybrid offense that includes spacing from his Mizzou days and brute force from his time in in Knoxville. the Patriots’ wing talent will be its focus. With Oduro being the one true post for George Mason, look for Turgeon to have Wahab exploit that.
Wahab’s presence has also allowed junior Donta Scott to slide down to his natural position at the 4, and Scott has averaged eight points and nearly eight boards a game.
The Patriots have talented players other than Oduro. But will they be able to contend with Maryland’s inside-out game?
Modern English
The new GMU coach, a former Tennessee assistant long touted as one of the next big things in college hoops coaching circles, has brought a pair of players with him from previous coaching stops to the A-10 program who have paid early dividends.
Last night at George Mason: Kim English picks up his first career win as a head coach, 72-54 over Stony Brook.
Davonte Gaines started for Mason, played 28 minutes and had 9 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists https://t.co/KgDVhR6AJS
— @GrantRamey (@GrantRamey) November 10, 2021
D’Shawn Schwartz, a Colorado transfer, has put up 15.3 points and 5.7 rebounds a game so far while Davonte Gaines — who English plucked from Rick Barnes at Tennessee — has gone for 10.3 and a team-best 7.7 a night.
Schwartz — a former top three-player on a KenPom top-10 team – is a big lefty wing and nightmare matchup. He has mostly excelled as a catch-and-shoot player to this point, but his off-the-bounce game is growing: Meantime, Gaines was buried on a talented Volunteer squad. But at GMU, he’s an excellent athlete who should find success as a slasher and shutdown defender.
If Oduro can stay out of foul trouble against Wahab and Scot, this game has a chance to be sneaky competitive. But, I’ll roll with the chalk in this spot based on their upside.
Pick: Maryland -12.5 (-104)
Blair Johnson is a veteran journalist and seasoned sports content creator. He has been writing and producing content as long as he can remember, with such familiar names as CNN, NFL Media and Yahoo. Blair currently lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.
