*CBB(1u): Penn State +3(-110) @ Maryland–6 PM CT
Maryland won on Friday night at Nebraska, but prior to that, the Terps had lost their previous 5 games by an average of 11 PPG. A lone win against the worst team in the Big Ten is nowhere near enough to convince me that this team has turned a corner. Maryland has actually won by double digits on the road two other times in conference play this season, and the following game when they came back home, they lost by double-digits each game. Penn State is coming off a really good week; they beat Michigan State at home earlier in the week before blowing Minnesota out of the water. The Nittany Lions play a really good brand of defense(#39 in defensive efficiency), which allows them to compete with virtually everybody in the Big Ten. I have no problem taking the points with the road ‘dog in this one.
*ML Parlay(0.8u): Ohio State, Syracuse, Baylor(+152)–6 PM CT
Ohio State is coming off a pretty bad double-digit loss at home to Iowa, but this sets up to be a prime bounce-back spot facing off with Indiana. S*** has really hit the fan for the Hoosiers over the past few weeks, as they enter this game off of 4 straight losses and won’t get any easier of a matchup tonight. The schedule does get easier for the Hoosiers as they close out the season, and I would expect them to turn things around following a loss tonight. Still, given how much easier the Buckeyes create points for themselves, I see them bouncing back at home tonight.
Syracuse came off a 7 day break in their schedule and absolutely pummeled Boston College by 20 on Saturday. In this spot, they get an even easier matchup facing a Georgia Tech team that is playing their second road game in 3 days. Sure, GT won at Pittsburgh on Saturday, but the Yellow Jackets rank 246th in offensive efficiency and aren’t built to exploit Cuse’s 2-3 zone. Syracuse is really good offensively, and that’s especially true when playing at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse rolls in this one.
See Baylor explanation below.
