Vaughn Dalzell breaks down the best bets for Sunday college basketball spots, with Rutgers hosting Maryland and FAU hosting Memphis.
Maryland at Rutgers (-2): O/U 129.5
After winning four straight, Rutgers has lost its last two games on the road to Maryland, which is now 1-5 in its past six games.
While Rutgers has been playing its best basketball of the season over the last month, Maryland has been the exact opposite. Since early February, Rutgers has ranked seventh in defensive efficiency, while Maryland has ranked 191st in offensive efficiency during that period.
Both of these teams rank in the top six in defensive efficiency on the season, and in the last six meetings, Maryland has scored 28 points or fewer in the first half against Rutgers four times, including the last two. He had 24 points and 17 points.
Maryland ranks 299th in overall tempo and slower ranked pace (324th) in road games (12th in road Big Ten play). The Terps have struggled from deep, ranking at 30.2% (second-worst offensive rating) in road games in the Big Ten. Rutgers boasts the No. 1 defense in the Big Ten at home and ranks in the top four across the board in most categories.
I'm doubling down on Rutgers ML at -135 odds and University of Maryland First Half team total under 29.5 at -104 odds. Both are FanDuel. Good up to -150 and 28.5.
choose: Rutgers ML (risk 1.5u), Maryland 1H team total under 29.5 (1u)
Florida Atlantic (-1.5) Memphis: O/U 158.5
This is the first time FAU will visit Memphis as a member of the AAC. The two met in the NCAA Tournament last year, with FAU winning the first-round matchup 66-56 as the No. 9 seed. FAU went on to have an amazing run, but Memphis had a lot of potential and made an early exit.
In FAU's last three road games, the Owls rank 255th in defensive efficiency and 287th in defensive rebounding percentage. Memphis is 11-2 at home this season, posting the second-best 2-point defense (45%) and second-best offensive rebounding record in the conference at home.
Memphis is once again a tall, athletic team. Penny Hardaway will prepare the Tigers for this matchup, although FAU has returned 82.7% of his minutes (best in the nation) and Memphis has played 9.9% (343rd).
FAU lost to South Florida and lost the AAC lead before defeating SMU at home by 10 points. This game has more meaning for FAU in the conference standings, but Memphis' season could bring another history-building win.
With two games remaining against FAU, I think Memphis has a good chance of winning at home, but FAU could play a turnaround, so we're looking at Memphis first half +0.5 at -112 odds on FanDuel. Selected.
The crowd will be excited about Memphis and the Tigers, who led by five and 17 points in the last two games of the first half at home. FAU was trailing 46-31 at the half in its last road game.
choose: Memphis 1H +0.5 (1u)
Season record: 48-36 (57.1%) +6.76 units
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