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Maryland vs. West Virginia NCAA Tournament Round 1: How to watch, odds and predictions for March Madness

By Michael Collins

Mar 9, 2023; Kansas City, MO, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers forward Tre Mitchell (3) moves to the basket around Kansas Jayhawks guard Gradey Dick (4) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2023; Kansas City, MO, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers forward Tre Mitchell (3) moves to the basket around Kansas Jayhawks guard Gradey Dick (4) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports /
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The NCAA Tournament is here, and the Maryland Terrapins and West Virginia Mountaineers are hooking up in a Round 1 tilt. 

The first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament are always fast and furious and this year the madness will kick off on Thursday with a Big Ten vs Big 12 matchup as the first round officially gets underway.

The 9th-seeded Maryland Terrapins and 8th-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers will face off and get things started as the bracket watching (and burning) is likely to begin as well.

This will be Maryland’s 30th trip to the Big Dance, with their last appearance coming in 2021. The Terps will be looking to make it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016. West Virginia is making their 31st appearance and will want to get past round two for the first time since 2018.

How to watch Maryland vs. West Virginia in the NCAA Tournament Round 1

All of the NCAA Men’s Tournament games will be broadcast on the CBS family of networks this year, as well as TNT, TBS and TruTV.

Maryland vs West Virginia is the first Round 1 game in 2023, and will be played at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

Date: Thursday, March 16
Time: 12:15 pm ET
Channel: TruTV
Streaming: NCAA March Madness Live, fuboTV
Announcers: Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill, Tracy Wolfson

Maryland vs West Virginia NCAA Tournament Round 1 odds

Per odds posted on FanDuel Sportsbook, the Mountaineers are currently favored by 2.5 points. The game has an over/under of 133.5, a -130 moneyline on West Virginia, and a +108 moneyline on Maryland.

Maryland did have a much better record against the spread (21-12-0O) than did West Virginia (17-16-0) during the 2022-23 season.

Close odds are not unusual in the 8 vs 9 seed matchups, as those are probably the most evenly matched games in each region.

Maryland vs West Virginia NCAA Tournament Round 1 prediction

When the seeds are this close, and the spread is less than three, it truly can go either way. In this case, it’s probably safe to follow the money, with the majority of it being laid on West Virginia. This could be a buzzer-beater game.

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