Alabama vs. Maryland Predictions, Picks and Odds for Saturday, 3/18

We already have second round matchups set for the NCAA Tournament, and both Alabama and Maryland survived their opening tests. As the #1 seed in the South region, Alabama earned the right to face the #16 seed Texas A&M Corpus Christi in the first round and thus were never really challenged. Meanwhile, #8 Maryland defeated #9 West Virginia in the first game of the Thursday session after a very slow start.

Our experts have Alabama vs. Maryland predictions in the article below, as well as information on the latest promo from Bet365 Sportsbook.

ALABAMA VS. MARYLAND PREDICTION: ALABAMA -8.5 (-110 at Bet365 Sportsbook)

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Alabama vs. Maryland Basketball Predictions Ahead of Saturday's March Madness Clash

It’s Alabama vs. Maryland in the round of 32 on Saturday. The Crimson Tide are of course the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, but Maryland won’t be a pushover. The winner will punch their ticket to next week’s Sweet 16 in Louisville, KY.

Maryland is a veteran team that will likely put up a good fight, but they did not come out of the gates hot. They quickly fell behind West Virginia in the opening round before battling back. However, that’s going to be a much more difficult task against the Crimson Tide. Let’s dive into with the best bet from our experts’ Alabama vs. Maryland predictions is on the Tide -8.5.

Picks & Best Bets for Alabama vs. Maryland Including Alabama -8.5

As the opponents get tougher as we move deeper into the NCAA Tournament, it gets harder and harder to win by a significant margin. However, Alabama has several clear matchup edges in this game, so our experts are backing the Tide with their Alabama vs. Maryland predictions.

Alabama is a team that thrives in transition. Per Synergy, Alabama has played in transition at a top-60 rate in the country this season. They’ll likely exploit a Maryland defense that ranks in just the 15th percentile in transition this season. The Crimson Tide will also likely dominate on the offensive glass, as they rank 29th nationally in offensive rebounding rate, while Maryland ranks outside the top 140 in defensive rebounding rate.

On the other end, Maryland will have a difficult time scoring at the rim against the Alabama defense. Per Hoop-Math, Alabama ranks second nationally in field goal percentage at the rim. If the Terrapins are unable to score effectively from in close, it could be a long afternoon for the Terps offense. They struggle to shoot the ball from the outside, ranking just 219th in three-point percentage.

With all that in mind, our experts’ Alabama vs. Maryland predictions have Alabama -8.5 as their best bet, and we’ll explain below how you can use that pick at Bet365 Sportsbook to unlock $365 in bonus credits instantly.

How to Bet on Alabama -8.5 with Bet365 and Unlock $365 in Bonus Bets Instantly

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Odds, Betting Lines and Spreads for Alabama vs. Maryland Brought to You by Bet365 Sportsbook

Bet365 Sportsbook currently has Alabama as a -8.5 favorite in their NCAA Tournament matchup with Maryland, which means the Terrapins are the +8.5 underdog. Both sides of the point spread have -110 odds, which means an $11 wager on Alabama will profit $10 if the Crimson Tide win by nine points or more, while an $11 wager on Maryland will also profit $10 if they lose by eight points or less or win the game outright.

If you’d prefer to bet on the total (over/under) in this game instead, Bet365 sets the total at 144.5, with -110 odds on both the over and the under. Regardless of which market you prefer, be sure to join Bet365 Sportsbook to claim $365 worth of bonus credits with just a $1 bet.

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