The Maryland Terrapins will host the USC Trojans on Thursday night, looking to inch closer to the upper echelon of the Big Ten standings. The Trojans will be fighting for their 15th win of the season, hoping for a miraculous finish to the regular season and conference tournament in order to be considered for the NCAA Tournament.
USC is far away from the comforts of Southern California — can they pull off an upset road victory, or will Maryland come out on top at home?
Find out below as we make a prediction for this Big Ten matchup and take a look at the spread, total, and money line bets.
USC vs. Maryland Betting Preview
All USC vs. Maryland odds are from Fanduel Sportsbook and are correct as of Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025.
- Spread
Maryland -9.5 - Moneyline
Maryland -520, USC +385 - Over/Under
152.5 points - Game Time
Thursday, Feb. 20, 8:30 p.m. ET - Location
XFINITY Center | College Park, MD - How To Watch
FS1
The Trojans enter with an 11-14 record ATS this season, including an even 7-7 in conference play. In only six games on the road, they’ve covered four — a good sign as they travel to College Park.
USC isn’t a good defensive team, and that’s reflected in their over/under track record. 18 of their 25 games have gone over the listed point total. The bet has been just as successful in conference, with 11 of 14 outings going over. All six of the Trojans’ road games have gone over as well.
Maryland is 13-12-1 overall, with a 9-6-1 record at home ATS. In conference — similar to USC — they’re 7-7-1. However, they’ve covered their last two games, both wins.
17 of the Terrapins’ 26 games have cleared the point total, a very high mark just like the Trojans. 10 of 15 conference matchups have gone over as well, with Maryland’s last three outings hitting the over.
USC vs. Maryland CSN Power Rankings Line
Our power rankings suggest that the line of Maryland -9.5 may be a slightly lower figure than it should be. The Terrapins occupy the No. 17 spot, while USC is much lower at No. 71.
Considering the game will be played at XFINITY Center in College Park, MD, the line is likely a couple of points too shallow.
Preview for USC vs. Maryland
Maryland, 20-6 on the season and 10-5 in Big Ten play, is riding high on a three-game win streak led by three explosive offensive performances of 90, 83, and 101 points.
The headliner for the Terrapins is 6’10” freshman center Derick Queen, who averages a team-high 16.0 ppg along with 8.8 rpg. In the last three games, he shooting 75% from the field. Senior forward Julian Reese is also a talented presence in the front court, grabbing a team-leading 9.2 rpg while scoring 13.8 ppg. The lefty uses his length extremely well.
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On the outside, junior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie does it all ball-handling-wise, dishing out 4.8 apg while being feisty defensively, as evidenced by his 1.8 spg. He’s also a tremendous shooter and scorer; he’s shooting 41.4% from beyond the arc on his way to averaging 14.7 ppg. He led the Terrapins with a game-high 26 points in their last outing.
USC, 14-11 overall and 6-8 in conference outings, is led by former Xavier Musketeer Desmond Claude. A 6’6″ ball-handling guard, Claude pours in 16.0 ppg on exceptional efficiency while leading the team with 4.4 apg.
Fellow guard sophomore Wesley Yates III is the second-leading scorer at 12.8 ppg on 42.4% from deep. The Trojans’ weakness is down low. A season-ending injury to forward Terrance Williams II greatly depleted their attack.
The Trojans will be looking for a coveted road win — if they can do that, they’ll be one game closer to reaching .500 in league play.
Meanwhile, the Terrapins’ three-game surge has them in position to push the likes of the Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Wisconsin Badgers, and Purdue Boilermakers at the top of the Big Ten standings.
Best Bets and Final Score Prediction
Both these teams have scored plenty of points recently. Over their last three, Maryland is averaging 91.3 ppg while USC isn’t close behind, averaging 83.6 ppg. If each team reached those marks, they’d fly way over the listed point total of 152.5 points.
Considering each have excellent marks in terms of going over this season, we’ll take the over of 152.5 points. That’s assuming both teams score around 70 to 80 points — something the Trojans and Terrapins are more than capable of.
While the line is set at Maryland -9.5, it could be much higher according to our power rankings.
Adding to that point, the Terrapins have covered nine of 17 games on their home floor. Considering the fact that they’re clearly the better team combined with USC being so far away from home, take Maryland -9.5.
It is high, but they just defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes by 26 points.
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The Terrapins will be confident heading into this matchup, hitting a high percentage of their shots and handling the Trojans in College Park.
Picks: Over 152.5 Points, Maryland -9.5
Prediction: Maryland 84, USC 71
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