The four-seeded Maryland Terrapins will hope to stave off an upset when they face the 13-seeded Grand Canyon Lopes on Friday evening in Seattle, WA., in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Find out below as we make a prediction and break down the spread, total, and money line bets.
Grand Canyon vs. Maryland Betting Preview
After a terrific regular-season, the Terrapins have hopes of a deep run through the tournament. Meanwhile, the ‘Lopes, conference title winners of the WAC, won their first-round matchup last season in the NCAA Tournament and returned many of the same players.
Can they pull off yet another first-round upset, or will Maryland begin their tournament run?
All Grand Canyon vs. Maryland odds are from Fanduel Sportsbook and are correct as of Friday, March 21, 2025.
- Spread
Maryland -10.5 - Moneyline
Maryland -650, Grand Canyon +425 - Over/Under
150.5 Points - Game Time
Friday, March 21, 4:35 p.m. ET - Location
Climate Pledge Arena | Seattle, WA - How To Watch
truTV
GCU didn’t quite live up to expectations early in the season, resulting in a 13-19 overall record ATS. That began with a non-conference record of 3-10 ATS — yet they finished the season covering six of their final seven games.
Maryland is 17-15-1 ATS and went 6-5 ATS in non-conference play. They’ve played well lately, covering six of their last nine games.
Both teams have a propensity for going over the point total, with the Lopes going 17-15 and the Terrapins going 19-14 in terms of over/under. Yet they went opposite ways to finish the season; GCU went over in each of their last five games, while Maryland went under in five of their last six.
Grand Canyon vs. Maryland Preview
The Lopes enter this game with a 26-7 overall and 16-3 record in the WAC, finishing second in the regular season and prevailing in the conference tournament to secure their second consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. Seeded 12th last season, GCU defeated the Saint Mary’s Gaels 75-66 in the first round before putting up a good fight and ultimately falling to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the second round.
Maryland surprised many during the season and finished with a 25-8 overall record, including 15-7 in the Big Ten. They are establishing themselves as a dark-horse Final Four candidate heading into the tournament.
But first, they’ll have to get by a talented and experienced Lopes squad led by senior wings JaKobe Coles and Tyon Grant-Foster.
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Coles, a TCU transfer who joined the Lopes for his graduate season, leads the team in scoring at 14.8 ppg while grabbing 5.7 rpg. At 6’8″, 230 pounds, the Texas native is a physical presence down low with playmaking ability, as evidenced by his 2.2 apg.
The play of Grant-Foster may well be the X-factor for GCU. Last season, Grant-Foster was far and away the best player for the Lopes, averaging 20.1 ppg and putting himself on NBA Draft boards. But after battling injuries and inconsistency this season, his scoring has dropped to 14.5 ppg on only 39.9% shooting from the field.
Down low, 6’10” forward Duke Brennan will be tasked with guarding the daunting frontline of the Terrapins. He should be up to the task. However, he’s averaging 10.7 ppg and a team-leading 9.2 rpg and produced 16 points and 10 boards in the WAC title game.
Speaking of Maryland’s front line, they trot out not one but two excellent big men.
Freshman Derik Queen is the headliner, averaging a team-high 16.3 ppg and grabbing 9.0 rpg. His play style is rather unorthodox, as he’s comfortable on the perimeter—despite not having a credible jumper—and possesses an uncanny ability to get to the rim with finesse. The 6’10” forward scored 31 points in the Terrapins’ last outing.
His front-court mate is senior forward Julian Reese. The 6’9″ forward is a terrific finisher, scoring 13.1 ppg on 55.2% shooting from the field while also bringing in 9.0 rpg.
On the perimeter, all three guards—Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Selton Miguel, and Rodney Rice—average in double figures but are each 6’4″ or shorter, which may pose a problem against the lengthy Coles and Grant-Foster.
Best Bets and Final Score Prediction
Either way this game goes, it’s sure to be entertaining. While the Terrapins average just over 80.0 ppg, the Lopes average just under that mark. The pace will be fast, and scoring will be aplenty — despite Maryland’s recent trend of going under the point total.
That’s come as a result of their defense focusing on familiar Big Ten opponents, which often happens late in the conference schedule. But against a completely different style of play, I’d be willing to bet that it might take the Terrapins some time to completely adjust to the Lopes’ fast-paced tempo.
Take the over at 150.5 points, as both teams will be comfortable in the environment and put the ball in the hoop early and often.
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Although I don’t anticipate the Lopes pulling off yet another first-round upset, I could certainly see them keeping it close and forcing the Terrapins to close it out in the final minutes. GCU +10.5 is an enticing number—it’s also a good reminder that they defeated the Gaels by nine points last season, a substantial, un-fluke-like number.
In addition to those, I’d also sprinkle in a player prop that caught my eye.
As I mentioned, Coles is averaging just a shade below 15.0 ppg this season and the odds for him to score 15+ points is set at +104. He’s reached that mark in four of his last five outings and just barely missed it in that lone game. Besides, who else is gonna score for the Lopes?
Coles will be aggressive early and begin the scoring, setting the tone for an up-tempo, hotly-contested game between the Lopes and Terrapins, with the latter pulling out the W in the end.
Picks: Over 150.5 Points, Grand Canyon +10.5, JaKobe Coles 15+ Points
Prediction: Maryland 83, Grand Canyon 76
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