USC vs Maryland: Expert College Basketball Predictions For February 20, 2025

USC and Maryland clash in a Big Ten matchup on Thursday night in college basketball. Get college basketball picks for today around USC vs Maryland battling in a conference showdown in Columbus, OH!

Here’s a breakdown of predictions and picks for this Big Ten matchup tipping off at 8:30PM ET on February 20, 2025!

USC vs Maryland Game Details

Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025
Time: 8:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM PT
Broadcast: FS1
Location: XFINITY Center, College Park, MD
Spread: Maryland -11.5 | Total: 153.5

USC vs Maryland Betting Preview

Much like Ohio State in Thursday’s other Big Ten game, Maryland has a big red flag on its portfolio heading into March.

Over their last eight games, the Terps are shooting 69-for-166 (41.6-percent) from three-point range compared to 52-for-172 (30.2-percent) by their opponents.

Those numbers are great, but they probably are not sustainable heading into the Big Ten Tournament and eventually the NCAA Tournament. During that eight-game stretch, Maryland has gone 7-1 straight-up and 5-3 against the spread.

Two of those point spread losses came by 1.5 points in each game. The Terps are still a very good basketball team, but those three-point numbers are going to level-off a little bit in the coming weeks. We’re looking toward the under in Thursday’s clash with USC.

The Trojans are not great on defense, but Eric Musselman’s squad should be a little bit more organized than the teams that Maryland has been facing recently. The Terps caught Illinois when 7-foot-1 center Tomislav Ivisic was out of the lineup.

Iowa is last in the Big Ten in almost every defensive metric. Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell has stopped teaching defense in Piscataway. USC’s defense is better than just about every defense the Terps have played over the last month.

ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt and some others in College Park have called out the Maryland students for their lack of support this season. With a late tip-off on a Thursday night, the Xfinity Center should be rockin’ for this one.

USC vs Maryland Predictions

This is USC’s first true East Coast road trip of the season. Prior to this trek to Maryland, USC hasn’t had to travel past Illinois and Indiana.

The Trojans did not play a single non-conference road game, and really haven’t played in many tough environments all season. If the Terp students answer the call, they will likely play a factor in this one.

This is the second-highest total USC has seen since the first week of the season. The only game with a higher total than the 154.5 that we’re seeing on Thursday morning was against Iowa, who simply does not play defense.

USC vs Maryland Prediction: Under 153.5

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