Maryland vs. Alabama Women: Picks, Predictions and Odds

The Maryland Terrapins, the No. 4 seed in Regional 2, host the No. 5 seed Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday at 5 PM ET.

Brenda Frese’s Terps are looking to reach the last-16 stage for the fourth time in the past five seasons and the 12th overall in Frese’s 23 seasons at the helm.

The Terrapins knocked off No. 13 seed Norfolk State 82-69 in the opening round. Sara Te-Biasu, who is averaging 15.1 points over her last 10 games, led Maryland with 22 points, followed by Kaylen Smikle with 21, Allie Kubek with 16 and Shayanne Sellers with 12.

Maryland now faces an Alabama squad in the tournament for the third straight year. The No. 5 seed is the Crimson Tide's best since 1999, and they are aiming to reach the last 16 for the first time in 27 years.

Alabama overcame No. 12 seed Green Bay in the first round, winning 81-67, with Aaliya Nye leading the way for her side with 23 points.

Nye was ably supported by Zaay Green, who had 22 points. Karly Weathers had 10 points and 10 rebounds and Sarah Ashlee Barker contributed nine points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

The last time these two squads faced each other was four years ago, also in the second round of the tournament, where Maryland won 100-64.

Maryland vs. Alabama betting picks and predictions

Maryland +1.0 (-110)

The Terps struggled against Norfolk State in the first round, needing to rally in the second half for the win, but Alabama has the momentum of a surging program looking to achieve something it hasn’t in more than a generation.

A big bonus for this clash is that Frese’s team is at home. The Terrapins are 12-4 at the XFINITY Center this season and, more importantly, they are 23-4 at home in the NCAA Tournament.

Maryland has performed well against non-conference teams all season, going 11-1, while they are 6-1 this season against the spread as an underdog.

The Terps will want to push the tempo, as they are a very dangerous team when they score 80 points, their season average, or more. In fact, Maryland is 108-7 over the last seven seasons when they have hit that golden number.

Smikle is averaging 17.8 points and 1.5 steals to lead Maryland, followed by Sellers with 14 points and 4.2 assists, and Te-Biasu, who has upped her game over the last month and a half.

The Crimson Tide counter with a balanced squad, with Barker leading the team with 17.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and two steals per game. Green is going for 15.9 points and 4.5 assists, Nye is averaging 15.3 points, and Essence Cody is chipping in with 10.9 points and 6.4 rebounds. Similar to Te-Biasu, Nye has been hot of late, averaging 19.7 points over her last 10 contests.

This should be one of the best matchups in this second round. Look for Maryland to hold court in a tight one in College Park and cover the +1.0 spread as underdogs.

Over 152.0 Total Points (-110)

Maryland wants this to be a contest played at a high tempo in an effort to reach the 80-point mark mentioned earlier. The Terps have played to the Over 21 times this season. Alabama, averaging 78.4 points and allowing just 62.8 points a game, has only played to the over 13 times. 

Both teams feature top-20 scoring offenses, with Maryland 12th and Alabama 19th. Neither team is particularly stingy defensively, so look for both teams to come close to their season average and total Over 152.0 points.

Read more betting picks and predictions for College Basketball on site.

Maryland vs. Alabama odds

Maryland	-105 ML
Alabama	-115 ML
Spread	Alabama -1.0
Total Points	O/U 152.0

Read the latest College Basketball news on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.