Maryland is looking to establish itself as a solid top 25 team and is off to a 2-0 start, but has the task of facing a Vermont team that opened the season without its top player and still came away with a 15-point road win against Northern Iowa.
Vermont Catamounts at Maryland Terrapins (-11, 135)
Vermont has ranked in the top 30 in the country in points allowed on a per-possession basis each of the past four seasons. The Catamounts held Northern Iowa to just 57 points in their season opener even though Ryan Davis, who had a team-high 6.3 rebounds per game, was ruled out just minutes before tip off.
The absence of Davis was due to a non-COVID illness and was ruled day-to-day, significant as Davis may either miss this game or be playing atl ess than 100 percent. He ranked third among all qualifying DI players last season in points on a per-minute basis.
Maryland has made just 24.3 percent of their 3-point shots this season and 67.3 percent of their free throws in wins over George Washington and Quinnipiac to start the season. With all the missed shots, the Terrapins do not have a single player averaging more than 2.5 assists per game.
Both teams have ranked in the bottom 100 out of more than 350 Division I teams in possessions per game each of the past five seasons and will play a slow, defense-oriented game on Saturday.
Pick: Vermont/Maryland Under 135
