Pittsburgh Panthers vs Maryland Terrapins NCAA Basketball Picks

Pittsburgh Panthers vs Maryland Terrapins
Thursday, 11/18/10, 7:00 PM EDT, TV: ESPN2
Opening Point Spread: Pittsburgh -4.5
Current Betting Line: Pittsburgh -5.5

The Pitt Panthers have gone 24-11 at Madison Square Garden since the 2000-01 season

Pittsburgh has had little trouble with its first three opponents due to a large disparity on the boards, especially in a 95-49 win over North Florida on Saturday. The Panthers are grabbing 21.4 more rebounds than the opposition while winning by an average of 32.4 points. “I think that it’s something that we’re continuing to build and grow on,” said head coach Jamie Dixon. “We have good size at every position and depth at this point.” Outrebounding opponents is nothing new for this program, as its had the sixth-best differential in the nation over the past two seasons. Tonight’s contest will be played at Madison Square Garden, which has been Pitt’s home away from home, playing 35 games at the venue since the 2000-01 season. Over that period of time, the team has compiled a 24-11 record. The team is 4-9 ATS on neutral courts over the past three years and currently favored on the NCAA basketball lines page.

The Panthers have gained national recognition over the last decade due to being one of only three programs to win more than 20-plus games, 10-plus league games and advance to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last nine seasons (Gonzaga, Kansas, Pitt). Pitt may tally another victory tonight due to a great backcourt consisting of junior Ashton Gibbs and senior Brad Wanamaker each averaging 19.3 points per game. “They obviously had really good years last year and they’re even better this year,” said Dixon. “I always felt Brad was overlooked and underrated. Overall, the team returned four starters and seven of its top eight scorers from the 2009-10 squad.

Maryland also enters fresh off three wins to open the season and will be making its first trip to Madison Square Garden since they won the same 2K Sports Classic in 2006. The Terrapins will need a big game from Jordan Williams on the boards Thursday night, as he comes in averaging 13.7 rebounds per game in the early going, after grabbing 8.6 last year. “I think he has more endurance this year,” head coach Gary Williams stated. “He doesn’t get as tired. He got tired quickly last year.” He was voted the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week on Monday, opening the season with three straight double-doubles. The squad is 15-10 ATS as an underdog the past three years.

The Terrapins have 23 wins over Top 10 teams the last 10 years and much of that has to do with Williams on the sidelines. he is the nation’s winningest active coach versus top-ranked teams with seven career victories over a No. 1 opponent. Maryland will need a monster game from its new backcourt this season to pull off an upset in this contest, with senior Adrian Bowie and junior Sean Mosley combining to average 17 points per game. Mosley is especially important, as he has four career games with 20-plus points, including 21 in the season opener against Seattle University.

Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Terrapins are 0-5 ATS versus the Big East Conference, while the Panthers are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 neutral site games.