The West Virginia Mountaineers travel to Legacy Arena in Alabama to take on the Maryland Terrapins in a first round showdown of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. It’s #8 vs. #9 in the Midwest Region. Can Coach Bob Huggins work his magic and lead West Virginia to a victory, or will Jahmir Young and the Terrapins oust them?
West Virginia vs. Maryland Match Details
Fixture: West Virginia Mountaineers @ Maryland Terrapins
Date and Time: March 16, 2023, 12:15 p.m. EST
Location: Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama
West Virginia vs. Maryland Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | O/U | ML |
| West Virginia | -2 -110 | O137 -110 | -130 |
| Maryland | +2 -110 | U137 -110 | +110 |
Key Stats
West Virginia is 19-14 this year and enters March Madness as the No. 9 seed in the South. The Mountaineers are coming off a 78-61 loss to Kansas in the Big-12 Tournament Championship game. Erik Stevenson leads this West Virginia in scoring, averaging 15.5 points per game. Tre Mitchell, Kedrian Johnson and Emmit Matthews also average double-digit scoring. As a team, the Mountaineers average 76.3 points per game. They are shooting 45.3% from the field and 34.8% from behind the arc. If you look at their schedule, West Virginia hasn’t beaten anybody worth mentioning this year outside of TCU. Every time they have played a top team this year, they lost.
Maryland is 21-12 on the year and is the No. 8 seed in the South. The Terrapins are coming off a 1-point loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament. Jahmir Young leads the team in scoring with 16.1 points per game. Maryland, like West Virginia, has three other players averaging double-digit points per game. This Maryland team is averaging 70.4 points per game and is shooting 44.9% from the floor. They shoot 33.0% from behind the arc. This year, Maryland has a couple of quality wins. Wins over Purdue, Indiana and Miami (Fl) make their resume slightly more impressive than West Virginia.
Game Prediction
This is going to be a shootout. I love Coach Huggins’s physical defense, but Maryland is tough as nails. Maryland isn’t too bad on the defensive side, either. These two teams haven’t played each other since 2015. The difference maker in this one is Jahmir Young. I saw this kid play in the Big Ten Tournament, and he can take over a game quickly.
On the other hand, it is hard to go against such a legendary coach like Bob Huggins. Coach Huggins has proven time and time again he can win when it matters most. I am riding with West Virginia in a close one.
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