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Gambling911.com has your predictions for the Maryland vs. LSU game along with the latest odds.
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Maryland- Should Maryland win they end up with home court advantage in the Sweet 16 in DC. The Terps just barely squeaked by Belmont.
Belmont took Maryland to the final seconds but the No. 6 Terrapins came up with the winning stop at the end.
"If not for one little deflection," said Rick Byrd, Belmont's 805-win coach, "I think we'd be playing Saturday afternoon."
Belmont led by as many as 12 points in the first half and went to the break with a 40-34 lead.
ESPN.com writes: “This was the sort of test that should serve the Terps well in the next round. They displayed plenty of balance, scored on the inside and the perimeter, and made only five turnovers in an extremely well-played game by both teams. Belmont also had just five turnovers.”
LSU- The Tigers just barely got away as well. Skylar Mays hit four free throws in the final 15 seconds to help embattled LSU slip by 14th-seeded Yale 79-74 in the East Region on Thursday.
Predictions
Athlon Sports: "Maryland is very efficient on both sides, and that should bode well for the Terrapins as they aren’t weak at either end of the court. They shouldn’t have a problem putting up points on the Tigers, but holding down a top-25 scoring offense in LSU (81.3 ppg) will be a test. Maryland is a very slow and deliberate team, so the difference in pace will certainly be a clash of styles." Prediction: LSU 75, Maryland 67
Winners and Whiners: "I love the Tigers in this one as I feel that they have a bit more offense than the Terps do. Maryland does have the edge on defense, but the Tigers have a big edge on offense, they didn’t shoot all that well against the Bulldogs, but that doesn’t usually happen two games in a row for them. The Terps also didn’t shoot well in their win and I don’t see that changing against an LSU team that has played better defense down the stretch of the regular season. Look for LSU to pull away late."
Action vs. Line Movement
With heavy lopsided early action on LSU, the line should be moving upwards towards -2.5. Instead, we are seeing some books drop off the -2.5. If that trend continues and the action doesn't balance out some, we will be paying very careful attention to Maryland Saturday morning.
Line
The Tigers are a -2 favorite in this one. Sagarin tends to agree and indicates a line of LSU -1.5 here.
- Mary Montgomery, Gambling911.com
