West Virginia vs Maryland Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 16 NCAA Tournament Game (Mountaineers Bounce Back)

West Virginia vs Maryland Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 16 NCAA Tournament Game (Mountaineers Bounce Back)

Updated:

West Virginia vs Maryland Game Info

  • 2022-23 NCAA Tournament Game
  • West Virginia (19-14) vs. Maryland (21-12)
  • Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023
  • Time: 12:15 p.m. ET
  • Venue: Legacy Arena at BJCC -- Birmingham, Alabama
  • Coverage: CBS

The 2022-23 NCAA Tournament kicks off this week, featuring a first-round South Division matchup between the No. 9 West Virginia Mountaineers and No. 8 Maryland Terrapins on Thursday, March 16.

Despite a strong finish to the regular season, West Virginia couldn't avoid a 78-61 loss to Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Maryland has suffered three losses in its last four outings, most recently picking up a 70-60 loss to Indiana on Friday.

Which of these teams will advance to the second round? Let's dig in.

West Virginia vs Maryland Odds & Spread

West Virginia enters this contest as a slim favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 12:15 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 139.5 points with the over being favored at -115 odds.

West Virginia vs Maryland Betting Trends

  • Against the spread, West Virginia is 17-15-0 this year.
  • The Mountaineers' ATS record as 2.5-point favorites or more is 12-4.
  • This year, 21 of West Virginia's 32 games have hit the over.
  • Maryland has 20 wins in 33 games against the spread this season.
  • The Terrapins are 4-3 as 2.5-point underdogs or greater.
  • This season, 11 of Maryland's 33 games have hit the over.
West Virginia Rank West Virginia AVG Maryland AVG Maryland Rank
70th 76.3 Points Scored 70.4 201st
207th 71 Points Allowed 63.2 26th
193rd 31.5 Rebounds 31.3 210th
62nd 9.9 Off. Rebounds 8.7 165th
193rd 7.3 3pt Made 6.8 240th
164th 13.2 Assists 11.5 307th
232nd 12.4 Turnovers 10 24th

West Virginia vs Maryland Prediction & Pick

Maryland hasn't done much lately to inspire confidence. The Terrapins' offense has been lethargic, averaging just 64 points over the last four games while shooting just 39.8% from the floor over the last three. That's not even to mention how their only win over that stretch came against Minnesota — the Big Ten's worst team.

Although West Virginia is also coming off a loss, that defeat came against one of the country's best programs. The Mountaineers have also scored 78-plus points in two of their last three games, which is a number that the Terrapins have hit just once in their previous 10 outings.

With Maryland also losing 10 straight games as the underdog, look for West Virginia to get back on track this Thursday.

Final Score Prediction: West Virginia: 74 | Maryland: 66

West Virginia vs Maryland Best Bet

I'm taking the over on the 139.5-point total as the best bet for this game. Though Maryland hasn't been scoring much lately, West Virginia has seen the over hit in nine of its last 13 contests. Furthermore, the Mountaineers have allowed 73.7 PPG over their last three contests, meaning the Terrapins should be able to do their share.

Bet: Over 139.5 Points (-115)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.