Ohio State vs. Maryland Odds, Picks, Predictions (1/8/23)

Maryland has been in freefall after a very promising start to the season. The Terrapins have lost their last five games against power-conference opponents and sit 1-3 in the Big Ten. It hasn’t been all smooth-sailing for Ohio State, which has come up just short against North Carolina and Purdue in recent weeks, but the Buckeyes have plenty of chances ahead to pick up meaningful wins. Will the Buckeyes extend Maryland’s dismal stretch?

Let’s take a look at the odds and make some picks and predictions for Sunday’s game in College Park.

Ohio State vs. Maryland Odds

Ohio State enters as a slight 1-point road favorite, sitting at -120 on the moneyline. The over/under is set at 141 points.

It’s not much of a surprise to see the Buckeyes as road favorites considering the way Maryland has been playing of late. The Terps are coming off two bad road losses, but they should fare a bit better at home. Does Kevin Willard’s team come into this game with a renewed sense of urgency?

Ohio State vs. Maryland Prediction & Pick

As is typically the case in this sport, this game comes down to whether one offense can keep up with the other. Maryland’s offense has been abysmal lately, and it’s going to take a serious bounce-back performance for the Terrapins to beat an Ohio State team that averages 80 points per game.

Maryland plays fine defense, but the recent surge of freshman Brice Sensabaugh- particularly in big moments – might make this Ohio State offense difficult to contain.

The Buckeyes have played only two true road games, which is a fair concern. They did beat Northwestern by 16 in their last road game, and it’s not a stretch to say Northwestern is running a smoother operation than Maryland right now. Ohio State -1 is the safer pick, even on the road.

Ohio State vs. Maryland Key Matchups

It’s been a rough stretch for this Maryland team, to say the least. The Terrapins are a very poor three-point shooting team and come into this game with an offensive disadvantage.

Finding a legitimate No. 1 scorer continues to be a challenge for Maryland, and the x-factor for this team has been Jahmir Young to this point. The Charlotte transfer had some big performances early in the season but struggled mightily on the offensive end in losses to Tennessee, UCLA, and Michigan.

When Young isn’t on, Maryland hasn’t proven it has enough options to run a respectable offense. In fact, the Terps scored 46 and 50 points, respectively, against Michigan and Rutgers. Maryland has been especially bad in the first half lately, so a strong start in front of the home crowd will be critical.

The test for Maryland will be limiting Ohio State’s offense. The Buckeyes average just north of 80 points per game and shoot efficiently at 49.2% from the field at 37.8% from beyond the arc. Like Malaki Branham last season, freshman sensation Brice Sensabaugh has gradually become the centerpiece for the Buckeyes. Sensabaugh is averaging 20.4 points over his last five games, including big performances against North Carolina and Purdue.

Ohio State has had some trouble with big men, allowing big days by Armando Bacot and Zach Edey in those losses, but that doesn’t look like it’ll be as much of a problem against Maryland. 6’9” Julian Reese is the only rotation piece taller than 6’7” and isn’t refined offensively. Despite issues on the defensive end, Ohio State generally rebounds very well and has the advantage in that department here.