Michigan vs. Maryland Prediction, Odds and Key Players for College Basketball on Monday, Feb. 17

Betting odds, pick and prediction for the Michigan-Maryland matchup in college basketball on Monday night.

Michigan Wolverines guard Olivia Olson is looking to lead her team to an upset win on Monday. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The No. 21 Maryland Terrapins have a crucial matchup in the Big Ten on Monday night, as they’ll take on the Michigan Wolverines with both teams sitting at 9-5 in conference play.

The Big Ten in women’s college basketball has been dominated by former Pac-12 teams, as the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans are both top five teams in the country and lead the conference record wise. 

However, Maryland (No. 21) and Michigan both gave cases to make the NCAA Tournament this season. The Wolverines have been making a real push as of late, winning four games in a row, including a matchup with No. 22 Michigan State.

Can Kim Barnes Arico’s squad break off another win against a top-25 opponent on Monday?

Here’s a full look at the odds, players to watch and my prediction for this Big Ten clash. 

Michigan vs. Maryland Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Michigan +3.5 (-110)
• Maryland -3.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Michigan: +140
• Maryland: -166

Total

• 151.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Michigan vs. Maryland How to Watch

• Date: Monday, Feb. 17
• Time: 6:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: XFINITY Center
• How to Watch (TV): Big Ten Network
• Michigan record: 18-7
• Maryland record: 19-6

Michigan vs. Maryland Key Players to Watch

Michigan Wolverines

• Olivia Olson Guard – 16.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.0, 1.4 SPG

A freshman, Olson has immediately made an impact for the Wolverines, leading them in points per game while shooting an impressive 37.8 percent from 3.

The Wolverines have four players averaging double figures this season, but Olson and fellow freshman guard Syla Swords are the driving forces of this offense. 

Maryland Terrapins

• Kaylene Smikle, Guard – 17.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.6 SPG

The leading scorer for the Terrapins, Smikle has scored in double figures in 23 of her 25 games this season.

This could be a bounce-back spot for the junior guard after she shot just 2-for-10 from the field and scored eight points in Thursday’s loss to Nebraska. Prior to that, Smikle had 57 points in her two previous games. 

Michigan vs. Maryland Prediction and Pick

Maryland is a solid 9-4 at home this season, but it dropped in the latest rankings after losing badly to Nebraska – at home – on Thursday. 

The Terrapins have some interesting losses at home in Big Ten play, including a one-point loss to Illinois, a five-point loss to USC and a 15-point loss to UCLA. 

Illinois is now ranked after winning eight games in a row, and Michigan is in the middle of a similar run. Not only did it easily handle the Nebraska team that beat Maryland earlier this month, but the Wolverines have ripped off wins in seven of their last nine games after a brutal stretch where they played the top-three teams in the conference – UCLA, USC and Ohio State – all in row. 

Michigan is also 22nd in the country in points per game, so it should be able to keep up with this high-powered Maryland attack (18th in points per game). 

With the Wolverines trending upward, I’ll bet that they keep this game close. 

Pick: Michigan +3.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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