Northwestern vs Maryland Prediction 3/8/25 College Basketball Picks

The Northwestern Wildcats and the Maryland Terrapins meet Saturday in college basketball action from the XFINITY Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Northwestern vs. Maryland prediction.

Matchup History

The Northwestern Wildcats won the first meeting at home between these two teams by a final score of 76-74 in OT back on January 16th, 2025. The win for Northwestern made it three straight for the Wildcats and 5 in the last 7.

Northwestern Recap

The Northwestern Wildcats come into this game looking to bounce back from a 73-69 loss at the hands of UCLA in their last game to sit at 16-14 on the year.

Wildcats Have Three-Game Win Streak Snapped

Nick Martinelli leads the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding with 19.9 PPG and 6.1 RPG while Brooks Barnhizer also has 17.6 PPG and 8.8 RPG with 4.1 APG and Jalen Leach has added 14.3 PPG with 3.4 APG, but both Barnhizer and Leach are out for the season with injury. Ty Berry has 10.5 PPG with 3.5 RPG to cap off the double-digit scorers for Northwestern so far this season. As a team, Northwestern’s averaging 73.1 PPG on 44.4% shooting from the field, 34.1% from three and 73.3% from the foul line this season.

Why the Northwestern Wildcats will win

• The road team has won four of Northwestern’s last five games.

Maryland Recap

The Maryland Terrapins come into this game looking to build on their 71-65 win over Michigan last time out to sit at 23-7 on the year.

Terrapins Win Back-To-Back Games

Derik Queen leads the Terps in scoring with 15.9 PPG along with 9.1 RPG while Ja’Kobi Gillespie has 14.8 PPG with a team-high 4.8 APG to lead the Terrapins in the assist department. Rodney Rice has 13.8 PPG and Selton Miguel has 12.1 PPG, while Julian Reese has 13 PPG with a team-high 9.2 RPG to lead the Terrapins on the glass and to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Maryland so far this season. As a team, Maryland is averaging 81.8 PPG on 47.6% shooting from the field, 36.8% from three and 75.1% from the foul line this season.

Why the Maryland Terrapins will win

• Maryland has won each of its last 14 games at XFINITY Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Northwestern has lost each of its last eight day games against the Big Ten Conference.

Total Points Facts

• Ten of Maryland’s last 11 games against non-AP-ranked opponents at XFINITY Center have produced a total of 142+ points.
• Each of Northwestern’s last seven Saturday games against the Big Ten Conference have produced a total of 141+ points.

Northwestern vs. Maryland Prediction

I’m on Maryland in this one. I just think that Maryland is the better team by a fair margin here, and if there was a game where the Wildcats would feel the loss of guys like Leach and Barnhizer, it would be here. Maryland’s just too loaded offensively for me to think that the likes of Northwestern is going to be able to compete for a full 40 minutes here. Northwestern did well to make a game of it against UCLA last time out, but the Wildcats shot themselves in the foot and I don’t think Maryland gives the Wildcats the chance here. Give me Maryland in this one.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Maryland -10.5