Virginia Tech vs Maryland Picks and Odds (Dec. 1)

  • Virginia Tech (5-2) takes on Maryland (5-2) in a Big Ten/ACC Challenge tussle Wednesday, December 1st at 7:15 pm ET in College Park
  • The Hokies are coming off a heartbreaking 59-58 loss to Xavier in the NIT Season Tip-Off, while the Terrapins just lost to Louisville 63-55 in the Bahamas Championship
  • See the current moneyline, point spread, and game total, plus predictions

The Virginia Tech Hokies (5-2) — who have played in the last four NCAA Tournaments — look to keep their drive for five consecutive Big Dance appearances alive Wednesday against the Maryland Terapins (5-2) at the Xfinity Center. Tip off is at 7:15 pm ET on ESPN2.

Va Tech enters the contest as slight favorites according to oddsmakers and KenPom predicts the Hokies will win 67-66.

Virginia Tech vs Maryland Odds

Team Moneyline Spread Total
Virginia Tech -110 -1.5(+104) O 1321.5(-110)
Maryland -110 +1 .5(-128) U 131.5 (-110)

Odds as of November 30th, 2021.

Mike Young’s club has played well defensively this season, but had a let down Friday against the Musketeers. Prior to the Xavier game at the Barclays Center, the Hokies had limited opponents to 35.2% shooting from the field, forced 14.2 turnovers and blocked three shots per game. The Muskies turned it over 14 times, but Va Tech allowed them to shoot 47.8% from the field with only one block.

Meantime, Mark Turgeon’s Terps led Louisville 32-27 at the half and held a five-point cushion the second 20 minutes before Jarrod West scored seven of his nine points in the final five minutes and led UL to the eight-point victory.

Stepping Up

After winning their first five games against teams rated between 132nd and 349th overall by KenPom, the 26th-rated Hokies have stumbled in their last two games against significantly better competition. Young’s group lost to 27th-rated Memphis 69-61, then fell to the 35th-rated Musketeers thanks to Nate Johnson’s 3-pointer with 25 seconds left that clinched the one-point victory.

Now, Virginia Tech needs to regroup against its third straight quality opponent in Maryland. The good news for Young is his team didn’t allow any other player beside Johnson to score in double-figures Friday. As for the Hokies’ offense, they only have two players averaging in double-digits: Nahiem Alleyne (the junior guard is scoring a team-leading 13.1 points per game) and Keve Aluma (who’s putting up 12.6 per contest).

Another player to keep an eye on Wednesday is Justyn Mutts, who is averaging 8.9 points a game and a team-leading 8.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest. The 6-foot-7 senior forward can do it all — and does the little things, too.

As plus passers and sneaky good shooters, Aluma and Mutts are able to stretch the floor in Young’s inverted motion offense, keeping the lane free of congestion.

The 3-point shot will always be front and center of any Mike Young offense but the Aluma / Mutts tandem enables the Hokies to strike a proper inside-out balance offensively. That has been reflected in Va Tech’s 3-point percentage both on offense (20th, per KenPom) and on defense (3rd). This is a talented team seeking its first victory over a quality opponent in 2021-22.

No Fear

The Terps came out of the gate hot, winning their first three games. Then, Maryland stumbled — at home — to George Mason 71-68. Turgeon’s club rebounded with two more victories before losing to the Cards. Despite the loss, Maryland can hang its hat on slowing down UL.

The Terrapins have four players averaging in double-figures, led by Eric Ayala’s 15.1 points per game. The frontcourt duo of Qudus Wahab and Donta Scott has been a strength early on as well. Wahab is averaging 10.7 points and 7.1 boards per game, while Scott is going for 10.3 points and 7.4 rebounds a game. The junior from Philly had the highest 3-point field goal percentage (43.8%) on the team last season, but has struggled from distance (27.6%) so far in the 2021-22 slate. He’s doing OK in the paint, though.

Maryland is the 46th-rated team overall by KenPom and are 60th in offensive adjusted efficiency and 44th in defensive adjusted efficiency.

The Pick

This game is a virtual toss-up. On one side, you have the Hokies seeking a quality win. On the other, you have a Terps team that playing well defensively and one that has already suffered a home loss it wants to put behind it.

Another intangible might be the fact that the Terps will celebrate the legacy of Len Bias during Wednesday night’s game. The team watched “34”, an incredible documentary produced by Maryland’s video staff on the former great’s legacy.

Virginia Tech is the higher rated team and can shoot and defend from the perimeter as good as any team in the land. But, with the added emotion of the Bias tribute helping motivate Maryland, it’s hard to fade the home team.

Pick: Maryland +1.5 (-128)

The post Virginia Tech vs Maryland Picks and Odds (Dec. 1) appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.

Source: https://www.sportsbettingdime.com/news/ncaab/virginia-tech-vs-maryland-picks-odds-december1/

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