Maryland vs Rutgers Odds, Pick for Sunday

Although the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Maryland Terrapins haven’t lived up to expectations this season, there’s still time to make the season memorable. For either team to make the Big Dance, it’ll take winning the Big Ten tournament.

But you can generate positive momentum by winning games down the stretch.

Maryland has the same issues as Rutgers. It can't score the ball consistently, and it's entirely reliant on using defense to win. At some point, putting pressure on your defense will haunt you, and it's happened quite a few times for the Terps.

Although Maryland's offense is better than Rutgers, it feels more disappointing. The Terps brought back four starters from an NCAA Tournament team and suddenly forgot how to score. The main issue for Maryland is perimeter shooting, connecting on 28% of shots from deep. Three of the Terps' starters shoot 20% or worse from deep.

The Terps' offensive success starts and ends with Jahmir Young, who posts over 20 points per contest. Ever since coming from Charlotte via the portal, Young has looked like a high-major player. He's taken a huge step this season and is the only reason Maryland is staying afloat. Young shoots 35% from 3 and an elite 92% from the foul line.

The success on the defensive end for Maryland comes from forcing difficult 2-point shots. Opponents only attempt triples on 29% of possessions, which shows just how good Maryland is at condensing the floor and forcing one-on-one shots. That should work against Rutgers' offense, which tends to have issues with ball movement.

Rutgers's four-game winning streak ended last week when it lost by double digits at Minnesota, and then it lost again by 32 against Purdue. Road life in Big Ten play isn’t easy, and the Scarlet Knights know that well.

The RAC is arguably the best home-court advantage in the Big Ten. Rutgers lost two home games this season — to Purdue and Penn State. But that was before Jeremiah Williams became eligible.

Williams has completely changed Rutgers’ offensive upside due to his scoring ability at the guard spot. The Scarlet Knights remain poor on offense, ranking 277th nationally in offensive efficiency. But we’ve seen much better play since Williams joined the fray. He’s averaging 13.8 points and 3.7 dimes in six games, in which Rutgers is 4-2. Williams also relieves pressure from Derek Simpson. The sophomore had too much on his plate, which made him overthink things and force poor shots. It helps to have another ball-handler in Williams.

On the other end, Rutgers ranks second nationally in defensive efficiency, only behind Houston. The Scarlet Knights force turnovers on 20% of defensive possessions and force tough shots with their defensive length. Rutgers has stymied some great offenses and will face an easier task Sunday.

Home-court advantage is everything. The Scarlet Knights have won and covered the spread in consecutive home games, and we should see more of the same against Maryland, which regularly plays close games but can't finish the job late.

Pick: Rutgers -2.5 (Play to -3.5)