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The NCAA Tournament is the single greatest betting event perennially. With the thrills, chills and heavy favorite spills, the Madness always delivers. Here are quick thoughts and the lean on Grand Canyon vs. Maryland in the first round of the West Region.
No. 13 Grand Canyon (26-7) vs. No. 4 Maryland (25-8)
Date: Friday, March 21
Time: 4:35 p.m. ET
TV: TBS
The pick — Grand Canyon-Maryland UNDER 150.5 (-110, BetMGM)
The common bettor inside any number of Vegas sportsbooks will implore anyone willing to listen that betting unders is drab and boring and lacks spice.
Yes, points are fun, but this shrewd gambler is all about chasing wins.
Counterintuitively, Lopes-Terrapins could be a fairly high-possession game. Both squads rank well inside the top 100 in adjusted tempo over the last 30 days.
However, defense is the reason why this game possibly doesn’t escape the 140s.
The Crab Five have one of the most intimidating frontcourts in the nation. Maryland’s Derik Queen and Julian Reese are supreme rim protectors who possess vacuum hands on the glass. They are a big reason why the Terps rank No. 31 in effective field goal percentage defense over their last nine games.
In its own right, Grand Canyon is no slouch on defense. Questions are warranted about the its contests along the arc, but in the paint, it clamps down.
On the season, the Lopes are No. 45 in near-proximity defense, surrendering only 46.4% shooting on 2-pointers. The length of Tyon Grant-Foster, Lok Wur, Collin Moore and JaKobe Coles is disruptive.
Spreading some Vegemite on the sandwich, this bettor will happily live in the land down under.
Season record: 26-23, +2.42