Northwestern vs Maryland Picks and Odds (Dec. 5)
- Maryland is a 4.5-point home favorite over Northwestern on Sunday
- This is the Big Ten opener for both teams
- A look at matchup and odds can be found below with a prediction
Danny Manning will make his Maryland coach debut when the Terrapins host Northwestern at 12:00 p.m. ET Sunday in the Big Ten opener for both teams at the Xfinity Center in College Park.
Manning was elevated from his assistant’s role Friday when Mark Turgeon departed by “mutual agreement” with the university. Maryland (5-3/4-2 home) has lost two games in a row, including falling 62-58 to Virginia Tech on Wednesday.
Northwestern (5-2/0-1 road) has dropped two of its last three, including a 77-73 overtime decision at Wake Forest on Tuesday.
In a game that will be televised by the Big Ten Network, Maryland is favored,
Northwestern vs Maryland Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | +152 | +4.5 (-115) | Over 137.5 (-102) |
| Maryland | -184 | -4.5 (-105) | Under 137.5 (-120) |
Odds as of December 4th at FanDuel. Check out FanDuel and all of the other top Maryland sports betting apps to make your college basketball picks. You can also see a list of the top Maryland sportsbooks below.
- DraftKings Sportsbook Maryland
- BetMGM Maryland
- Barstool Sportsbook Maryland
- FanDuel Sportsbook Maryland
- Caesars Sportsbook Maryland
Northwestern Outlook
Northwestern senior forward Pete Nance is making an early bid for All-Big Ten honors.
Nance is averaging 17.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 blocked shots. He has scored at least 13 points in all seven games and is a big part of why Northwestern’s offensive rating of 114.7 points per 100 possessions is 27th in the country.
Pete Nance and the ‘Cats tip off at 7pm at Welsh-Ryan Arena. #GoCats pic.twitter.com/3rIyCJhbEu
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) November 16, 2021
In the loss at Wake Forest, Nance finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four rejections.
Junior guard Boo Buie added 12 points and seven assists. Buie has scored in double digits in every game this season while averaging 16.7 points and 6.3 assists.
The third Wildcats player scoring in double figures is junior center Ryan Young at 11.9 points a game.
Senior forward Elyjah Williams had his best game of the season Wednesday with 11 points in a reserve role. Williams grew up in Evanston, Ill., where Northwestern is located, and transferred after four seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson.
Preview of a piece I should have coming out for @insidenu in the near future on Grad Transfer Elyjah Williams, the newest member of the Northwestern basketball team. pic.twitter.com/PvGRRBCwK1
— Daniel Olinger (@dan_olinger) April 23, 2021
Northwestern shot just 37.7% but did hold a 45-34 rebounding edge.
Buie’s layup with 20 seconds remaining in overtime drew Northwestern into a 73-73 tie. However, Jake LaRavia hit a jumper with five seconds left to put Wake Forest ahead then had a steal on the ensuing possession when Buie lost the ball.
LaRavia was fouled and made two free throws to ice the win for the Demon Deacons.
Maryland Outlook
Manning takes over a team that was ranked #21 at the start of the season but has since fallen out of the polls. He has previous head coaching experience at Tulsa and Wake Forest.
That was quick, @Wikipedia
Danny Manning becomes the men's basketball interim head coach at the University of Maryland. pic.twitter.com/cUMQYfFMm7— Adam Longo (@adamlongoTV) December 3, 2021
Maryland struggled mightily offensively in the loss to Virginia Tech, making just 1 of 13 shots (7.7%) from three-point range. The Terrapins’ leading scorer, senior guard Eric Ayala, scored two points on a 1-for-9 shooting.
Ayala is having a solid season, though, with averages of 13.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
Senior guard Fatts Russell has been a good addition after transferring from Rhode Island. He is scoring 12.3 points and dishing 3.5 assists a game but was 2-for-10 from the floor in an eight-point effort Wednesday.
Another transfer, junior forward Qudus Wahab from Georgetown, was a bright spot for Maryland as he finished with 18 points and seven rebounds. For the season, he is averaging 11.6 points and 7.1 rebounds.
1H, under-15 remaining: Maryland 12, Virginia Tech 8
Maryland is off to a decent start, especially on the offensive end. Donta Scott has a three and Qudus Wahab had this bucket and a foul down low from just before. pic.twitter.com/g7i1kTElRs
— Testudo Times (@testudotimes) December 2, 2021
Junior forward Donta Scott has averages of 10.4 points and 7.5 rebounds and had 11 and seven Wednesday. Junior guard Hakim Hart added 10 points in a losing effort.
Maryland led 43-36 with 11:58 to go but Virginia Tech had a 13-3 spurt that put the Hokies ahead for good at 59-56 with 5:54 left.
The Terrapins held Virginia Tech to 38.3% (23 of 60) shooting but the Hokies made 9 of 20 (45.0%) of their shots from beyond the arc. Maryland also had 15 turnovers to Virginia Tech’s eight.
Northwestern vs Maryland Prediction
The teams met once last season with Northwestern winning 60-55 at home. That snapped the Wildcats’ five-game losing streak against Maryland.
Buie scored 15 points for the winners and Nance had 12 points and six rebounds.
Look for Northwestern to make it two in a row over Maryland as the Terrapins are underachieving and likely reeling after the lose of their coach.
The Pick: Northwesterrn moneyline +152
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
