Maryland vs. Northwestern Prediction, Odds for College Basketball on Wednesday, Feb. 18

We have a battle of basement dwellers set to take place in the Big Ten tonight when the Maryland Terrapins hit the road to face the Northwestern Wildcats. With just a combined five conference wins between the two of them, neither will be a threat come tournament time.

With that being said, sometimes these bad matchups create edges we can take advantage of from a betting perspective. I'm hoping to do exactly that tonight, so let's dive into the odds and my best bet.

Maryland vs. Northwestern Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

Maryland +7.5 (-105)
Northwestern -7.5 (-115)

Moneyline

Maryland +310
Northwestern -400

Total

OVER 142.5 (-115)
UNDER 142.5 (-105)

Maryland vs. Northwestern How to Watch

Date: Wednesday, February 18
Game Time: 8:00 pm ET
Venue: Walsh-Ryan Arena
How to Watch (TV): BTN
Maryland Record: 10-15 (3-11 in Big Ten)
Northwestern Record: 10-16 (2-13 in Big Ten)

Maryland vs. Northwestern Betting Trends

Maryland is 2-5 ATS in its last seven games
Maryland is 4-2 ATS in its last six games vs. Northwestern
The UNDER is 7-3 in Northwestern's last 10 games
Northwestern is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games played on a Wednesday

Maryland vs. Northwestern Key Player to Watch

Nick Martinelli, F - Northwestern Wildcats

Northwestern's record may be bad, but Nick Martinelli is worth the price of admission. He's seventh in college basketball in points per game, averaging 22.1. He's shooting 50% from the field while also averaging 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists. The key to beating Northwestern is finding a way to limit Martinelli offensively.

Maryland vs. Northwestern Prediction and Pick

Maryland may have one more win in the Big Ten compared to Northwestern, but the Terps are far worse in most metrics. They rank 311th in effective field goal percentage and 307th in defensive efficiency. By comparison, Northwestern ranks 197th and 196th in those two respective metrics.

One of the Wildcats' biggest strengths is their perimeter defense. They rank inside the top 100 in opponent three-point field goal percentage, keeping teams to shooting just 32.6% from beyond the arc. That's going to help them tonight when they face a Maryland team that ranks 44th in the country in three-point shot rate.

I'm not afraid to lay the points on Northwestern in this game.

Pick: Northwestern -7.5 (-115)

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!