Oregon (12-2) vs Maryland (11-3)
January 5, 2025 at 04:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Oregon -2.5 / Maryland +2.5 — Over/Under:
The Maryland Terrapins and the Oregon Ducks meet Sunday in college basketball action from Matthew Knight Arena. Here’s a Maryland vs Oregon prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Maryland vs Oregon pick. We will examine:
The Maryland Terrapins’ recent form and player performance
The Oregon Ducks’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Maryland Terrapins
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Oregon Ducks
Recent betting trends in games played between Maryland and Oregon
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Maryland vs Oregon game
Maryland Terrapins Betting Preview
Maryland’s season kicked off on a solid 3-0 run with wins over Manhattan, Mount St. Mary’s, and Florida A&M. After a loss versus Marquette, the Terrapins hit wins in each of their next five games over Canisius, Villanova, Bucknell, Alcorn State, and Ohio State. It’s been a 3-2 stretch over the last five games for Maryland. The three victories came in consecutive outings versus St. Francis PA, Syracuse, and Maryland Eastern Shore. Those were bookended by losses versus Purdue and Washington for an 11-3 overall record so far.
In the Washington game on Thursday, the Terrapins came out of halftime looking at a 33-30 advantage on the scoreboard. Maryland didn’t perform as well in the second half however, getting outscored 45-36 the rest of the way for a 75-69 defeat. Leading the team in scoring was Julian Reese with 22 points, seven rebounds, and two steals in 37 minutes of action. Selton Miguel added 12 points with two rebounds, while both Rodney Rice (five rebounds; two assists) and Jordan Geronimo (six rebounds off the bench) had 10 points each.
Oregon Ducks Betting Preview
Over on the Ducks’ side, they opened up the season on a great run, taking victories over their first nine games of the year. Oregon beat UC Riverside, Montana, Portland, Troy, Oregon State, Texas A&M, San Diego State, Alabama, and USC in those games. Following their first loss of the year versus UCLA, the Ducks took three straight wins over Stephen F. Austin, Stanford, and Weber State. That win streak was stopped by Illinois in the Ducks’ last game, though.
Matched up against the Illini on Thursday, the Ducks came out of the break with a 45-38 deficit. Oregon was pummeled by a hot-shooting Illinois team in the second half, falling further behind on a 64-39 run that resulted in a 109-77 defeat in the end. Supreme Cook was the team’s leading scorer, coming off the bench to find 20 points and two rebounds in 19 minutes of work. Nate Bittle led the starters with 13 points and five rebounds, while Kwame Evans came off the bench for 11 points and two boards. TJ Bamba also finished in double-figures with 10 points, one rebound, and four assists in 25 minutes on the floor.
Why the Oregon Ducks will win
- Oregon has won 10 of its last 11 day games.
- Maryland has lost seven of its last eight games against AP-ranked opponents.
- Maryland has lost the first half in seven of its last eight day games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
Why the Maryland Terrapins will win
- Maryland has won eight of its last 10 games.
- Oregon has lost three of its last four games against the Big Ten Conference at Matthew Knight Arena.
Maryland vs Oregon Prediction
I’m going to stay with Oregon. The Ducks need a good bounce-back effort here, however, following the rough showing against a surging Illinois team. Oregon didn’t shoot too badly in that one (43.5 percent) but also gave up 57.5 percent from the floor and 55.2 percent (16-of-29) from outside to the Illini. The 43-31 rebounding deficit didn’t help matters either. It was a very good day for a pretty talented (and potentially dangerous) Illinois squad. The good news is that Oregon has 76 or more points in four straight games, and 68 or more points in every game this season. The Ducks should score well here if nothing else.
As for Maryland, they were out-rebounded 33-29 by Washington and hit just 2-of-11 (18.2 percent) from 3-point range in their latest loss. The Terrapins have scored 69 or more points in every game this year themselves, so we should see a pretty high total on Sunday. I like Oregon to hammer out the cover/win in the end, though.