Maryland is a very well-coached team. I was impressed with the Terrapins' win over UConn. They played the 11th toughest schedule in the nation. Maryland will control the pace, slowing this game down and minimizing possessions. Alabama was 9-4 ATS at home this year, but 7-11 ATS away from home. The Crimson Tide's freshman point guard, Josh Primo, has missed the last three games with a knee injury and will be a game-time decision.

Wish I'd jumped on this sooner, but I'll still back Alabama at this number. The Terps shot 9 of 18 from 3-point range in their upset win over UConn. That was easily their best long-range shooting performance of the season. Alabama, on the other hand, went 5 of 16 from deep in getting past Iona. The 16 attempts were a season low, and the five makes were the Tide's second-fewest all season. Alabama has a rest edge, too. It finished its game about three hours earlier Saturday night and didn't have to travel from Bloomington to Indianapolis like the Terps did. Look for Jahvon Quinerly to stay out of foul trouble this round and help the Tide cover.

No. 10 Maryland vs. No. 2 Alabama in East Region. The Tide are taking heavy, heavy action, which is starting to push this number up (-6 at many books) so we better take it now. I'll be honest in that I didn't think the Terps would even beat No. 7 UConn in Round 1, but the Tide are way better than the Huskies. Bama is a dynamic three-point shooting team that also ranks No. 2 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency via KenPom. The Turtles, meanwhile, are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up win.

Maryland played some great defense in its first NCAA Tournament game against Connecticut on Saturday, allowing only 32 percent shooting while shooting better than 50 percent from the field and 3-point range. The Terrapins now have won two of their last five contests. Alabama has won seven straight and 10 of its last 11. I’m on the team better prepared to win regularly - the Crimson Tide.