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Saturday’s slate only features one Big Ten game, but it’s an important one for the league’s postseason chances and for its seeding in Madison Square Garden. Michigan travels to face Maryland in the afternoon in what should be a huge opportunity for both sides.
Let’s take a look at the matchup.
Game of the Day
-Michigan Wolverines at Maryland Terrapins
- Time/TV: 12:00PM ET (ESPN)
- KenPom Spread: Maryland (-2)
While this game has lost a bit of luster over the last few weeks due to Maryland’s struggles, it’s still an important one that will have a huge impact on both sides. It’s also a matchup that is excepted to be close. Maryland narrowly lost on the road to Michigan earlier this season and there’s no reason to think this will be much different.
For Maryland, this is a huge opportunity at home to grab a quadrant one win and help the team’s NCAA Tournament resume. The Terps are a longshot for an at-large bid at this point, but a win over Michigan would certainly help that effort. It would also give the team some momentum heading into the Big Ten Tournament.
On the other side, Michigan is hoping to keep things rolling. The Wolverines have won four straight and six of the team’s last seven games. During that time, Michigan has moved itself into great position heading into the postseason. However, scoring another quadrant one win would certainly help things.
This game also has some important stakes for the Big Ten Tournament. While Michigan can’t move up to the four seed with a win, it would move the Wolverines up with a win and a Nebraska loss on Sunday. Given Michigan’s success in the Tournament last year, getting an extra bye would certainly be big news.
The matchup to watch in this one will be upfront where Moritz Wagner and Bruno Fernando will face off. Wagner had 18 points and 11 rebounds in the first meeting and the Terps will be hoping to slow him down more this time.
- Pick Against the Spread: Michigan
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Season Record vs KenPom’s Spread: 22-37-2