The Maryland Terrapins finished the regular season on a strong note, rattling off seven straight wins, cracking the Top 8 in the AP rankings, and setting themselves in the position to earn their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2010 with two huge road wins against Rutgers and Nebraska. The Terrapins, in the process, ended up producing the most regular-season wins in the school’s history with a 26-5 record and may be ready to put themselves back on the college basketball map with a deep tournament run and reminder that the squad did win the national title back in 2002.

Maryland coach Mark Turgeon, who has not led the team to a postseason appearance since taking over the position, told the media that the Terrapins “really dialed in” and “stayed focused” when they found out about the chance at breaking the school’s record for wins against Nebraska to close out the season. Let’s take a closer look at Maryland’s national title odds with predictions and analysis.

2015 Maryland Terrapins National Title Storylines

Maryland’s first big test of the postseason will come before the NCAA Tournament even begins as they try to maneuver through the Big Ten tourney. The conference tournament is winnable for Maryland after the team’s recent victory over Wisconsin where it became the only Big Ten squad to beat the Badgers with Frank Kaminsky in the lineup this season. The Big Ten tournament has suddenly turned into a primer for Maryland’s national title run, and an upset over Wisconsin could set the team up for No. 2 seed and a prime position in the tournament.

Maryland has been one of the best free-throw shooting groups in the nation, making nearly 76 percent of their attempts and ranking in the Top 12. The squad is being led by three talented scorers in Melo Trimble, Dez Wells and Jake Layman, who all average more than 13 points a game; they can each provide meaningful offense late in the fourth quarter. All three players combined for 50 of Maryland’s 64 points during the team’s recent road victory over Nebraska while grabbing 20 rebounds and dishing out eight assists combined. If there is one thing this Terrapins team has is talent on the offensive end of the court.

2015 Maryland Terrapins National Title Odds and Trends

Maryland is currently receiving the 13th-best national title odds at +5000, according to Sportsbook.ag, The team is also receiving +650 odds to win the Big Ten conference tournament and trails both Wisconsin and the unranked Ohio State Buckeyes. The Terrapins seem to be getting overlooked by the oddsmakers in both the conference and NCAA Tournament, and bettors may have a bit of value on a group that could very well earn a No. 2 seed in its bracket.

Maryland has been one of college basketball’s biggest surprises, but that has not helped the team cover spreads this season. The squad ended the year with a 13-13-1 ATS record and horrendous 5-10-1 home mark to go along with a 10-14-1 totals record. Maryland has been top-heavy this season with three players taking on the scoring load. That approach has been good enough to earn the team wins but not necessarily cover spreads.

2015 Maryland Terrapins National Title Odds and Predictions

Maryland might be getting overlooked by the oddsmakers and experts alike, and now is the time for bettors to take advantage of an undervalued line. The Terrapins have a recent victory over Wisconsin and if nothing else have shown that they have the talent to play with the best schools in the nation. If Maryland can upset the Badgers in a potential Big Ten finals matchup, the team will end up with a No. 2 seed in its bracket and probably crack the Top 6 in the AP rankings, which would probably be enough to get everyone’s attention and bring down their odds quite a bit.

Maryland can be a player on the national stage, as evidenced by the school’s two-year run in 2001 and 2002 where it made a national title game appearance and came home with a championship victory the very next year. Maryland is not hanging their hats on something that happened over a decade ago, however, but a deep postseason run that ends with a national title game appearance or win would not be unprecedented for the team. Maryland may be the most underrated squad in the nation, and its +5000 odds definitely have value.

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