Grand Canyon vs. Maryland Best Bet, Prediction, Latest March Madness Odds for NCAA Tournament Round of 64

Day 2 of the March Madness Round of 64 is underway, and one interesting matchup to keep an eye on will be heavy-favorite No. 4 seed Maryland and No. 13 seed Grand Canyon squaring off in Seattle this afternoon at 4:35 PM ET.

Maryland has been fantastic this season led by their complimentary starting lineup, known as The Crab Five. Kevin Willard’s group is elite defensively (6th nationally per KenPom) and super effective offensively (25th). They play fast (29th in tempo), take care of the basketball (22nd in turnover rate), and shoot it well from deep (37.3%).

Grand Canyon returns to the dance with four of the same starters who made noise last year when they upset Saint Mary’s 75-66 as a 12-seed. The Lopes’ athleticism fuels their impressive defense (32nd overall), anchored by elite rim protection (9th in 2P% allowed, 19th in block rate). GCU loves to run in transition,  and their downhill style led by Tyon Grant-Foster brings them to 3rd nationally in free throw rate.

Let's get a look at the odds, game details, and the break down the matchup itself before making a pick on this intriguing First Round contest.

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Grand Canyon vs. Maryland Odds

• ML: Grand Canyon +430, Maryland Terrapins -550
• Spread: Grand Canyon +10 (-110), Maryland -10 (-110)
• Total: Over 149.5 (-105), Under 149.5 (-110)

Grand Canyon vs. Maryland Date, Time, and Where to Watch

• Date: Friday, March 21, 2025
• Time: 4:35 PM ET
• Where to Watch: TBS

Click here for latest Grand Canyon vs. Maryland Odds

Grand Canyon vs. Maryland Prediction

The free throw rate is a key thing in this specific matchup. Maryland’s biggest question mark all season has been depth. Their starting five — Gillespie, Rice, Miguel, Queen, and Reese — is fantastic, but the bench provides little production most nights. Typically in the NCAA Tournament, teams can get away with having a shortened rotation. But against a team like Grand Canyon that is elite at getting to the free throw line, I’m concerned about the likelihood that Queen or Reese gets into foul trouble.

Grant-Foster can be inconsistent, but he’s a nightmare to guard. Last March, he put up 51 points and attempted 30 free throws in two Tournament games. Maryland has been the top defense in the country since the beginning of February, so I have plenty of confidence in the Terps on that end of the floor, but Grant-Foster is a nightmare for anybody to deal with, and I’m not sure how Willard will try to match up with him. They’ll need to defend him as a team, but that could open up looks for the Lopes on the perimeter.

Fortunately for Maryland, that’s where GCU struggles. Bryce Drew’s team rarely takes threes (311th in 3P rate) and doesn’t shoot them well (284th in 3P%), preferring to attack the rim. Maryland is an athletic group themselves though, and they are great at guarding the ball on the perimeter.

The Crab Five can attack in multiple ways. The guards are deadly shooters, and the bigs are so tough and skilled on the interior Maryland’s elite ball security has me confident in their ability to keep GCU from easy run outs. But because both teams like to play fast there could still be plenty of transition opportunities. 

I can’t get to either side, because while I like Grand Canyon’s chances at being competitive here, Maryland is humming right now and I can’t go against them.

My preferred angle here would be over the total of 149.5, as both teams likely will look to run and score fast to avoid the opposition’s tough half court defenses.

Grand Canyon Antelopes vs. Maryland Terrapins Pick

Pick: Over 149.5 (-105)

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