Old Dominion at Maryland 11/25/20 - College Basketball Picks & Predictions

Last Updated: 11/24/2020 at 9:57 AM ET

The Old Dominion Monarchs visit Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland on Wednesday to play the Maryland Terrapins in the opening game of the regular season for both. Old Dominion was 13-19 overall and 9-9 in the Conference USA last season. However, the Monarchs have four of their five starters returning from last season of which all four averaged double-figures in scoring led by senior guard Malik Curry with an average of 13.4 points per game.

The Monarchs will rely on their four returning scorers. Curry was one of the conference's best players last season with an average of 13.4 points per game and when playing C-USA opponents Curry's average increased to 16.6 points per game. Curry also finished in the top five in the C-USA in assist-to-turnover ratio. Transfer David Strother is expected to make an impact on offense after scoring more than 1,000 points during three seasons in Division II. New additions to Old Dominion include transfer Strother from Division II and two freshmen.

Maryland finished last season 24-7 overall and 14-6 in the Big Ten. The Terrapins lost their top two scorers Anthony Cowan and Jalen Smith, but have three starters and three of the top six scorers from last season returning, including third leading scorer Aaron Wiggins who averaged 10.4 points per game. Maryland is expected to be very competitive in the Big Ten Conference that is expected to have a minimum of five teams vying for the conference title.

The loss of Cowan and Smith will hurt the Terrapins to start the season but with Wiggins, who was the Sixth Man of the Year in the Big Ten, the Terrapins will have a player that has potential to play in the NBA. Eric Ayala will play a bigger role this season after starting 20 games a year ago and averaging 8.5 points per game. Darryl Morsell will be the top defensive player for the Terrapins and will lock down an opponent's top scorer. Senior grad transfer Galin Smith from Alabama will see several minutes of playing time as well as four freshmen that complete the roster.

Maryland lost its top two scores from last season but three of the top six scorers return and at home the Terrapins are almost unbeatable. Maryland has won 17 of its last 18 straight up at home. Old Dominion has had its problems on the road failing to cover 16 of the last 25 played away from home and that trend continues on Tuesday against a much more talented Maryland Squad. Final Score Prediction, Maryland Terrapins win and cover ATS 77-65.

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