The Illinois Fighting Illini (21-11) travel to face off against the Maryland Terrapins (24-7) on Friday, March 14th. This game will be played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and televised on BTN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 6:30 ET.

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Maryland Terrapins

The Fighting Illini Are Coming Off A Win

Illinois Fighting Illini Recent Game/Games

Illinois improved to 21-11 on the season with a 106-94 win over Iowa on Thursday, March 13th. Playing at home, the Illini entered the game as -9.5 favorites and covered the spread.

Illinois led 49-45 at halftime and scored 57 points in the 2nd half while allowing 49. The game’s total points reached 200, surpassing the over/under line of 164.5.

The Terrapins Are Coming Off A Win

Maryland improved to 24-7 on the season with a 74-61 win over Northwestern on Saturday, March 8th. The Terrapins, who were -11.5 point favorites, covered the spread in this home game. The total points for the game were 135, falling short of the 143.5 O/U line.

Maryland led 32-29 at halftime and pulled away in the 2nd half, outscoring Northwestern 42-32.

Fighting Illini Offense Breakdown

Illinois put up 106 points in their last game, shooting 53.8% from the field and hitting 46.2% from three-point range. Their effective field goal percentage was 63.1%, and they connected on 80% of their free throws, going 24-for-30 from the line.

Payton Sandfort led the way with 30 points, hitting 8 threes at a 61.5% clip. Kylan Boswell added 24 points and 7 assists, shooting 71.4% overall and 57.1% from deep. Tomislav Ivisic contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Terrapins Offense Breakdown

Maryland put up 74 points in their last game, shooting 42.3% from the field. They connected on 43.8% of their three-point attempts, hitting 7 of 16 from deep, and were strong from the free-throw line, going 23 of 28 for 82.1%.

Nick Martinelli led the way with 28 points, despite shooting just 42.1% overall and 20% from three. Julian Reese added 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Ja’Kobi Gillespie contributed 17 points, hitting 3 of 4 from beyond the arc.

Fighting Illini Team Defense

Illinois struggled defensively, giving up 94 points while allowing their opponent to shoot 53% from the field. They couldn’t contain the two-point attack, with the other team hitting 59% of their shots inside the arc.

The Fighting Illini also had trouble defending the three-point line, where their opponent shot 46% on 26 attempts. Illinois sent them to the free-throw line 30 times, where they converted 80% of their shots.

Terrapins Team Defense

Illinois struggled defensively, giving up 94 points on 53% shooting from the field. Their opponents connected on 35 of 65 attempts.

From beyond the arc, Illinois allowed 12 threes on 26 attempts, a 46% shooting clip. They also sent their opponents to the line 30 times, where they hit 24 free throws.

Fighting Illini vs Terrapins Trends

• In their last three road games, Illinois has averaged 87 points per game while allowing 80. The team’s record in this stretch was 2-1 while going 2-1 vs. the spread.
• When looking at their past five home matchups, Maryland has an ATS record of 2-3 while averaging 74 per game. The team went 4-1 overall in these games.
• The last three games that Illinois was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 1-2 while going 1-2 straight up.
• In their last three contests as the favorite, Maryland has a poor record vs the spread going 1-2. But, they still put together a straight up mark of 2-1.

Fighting Illini vs Terrapins Prediction

We’re calling a win for the Terrapins, with a final score of 77-69, and we’re taking them to cover the spread. Our recommendation is to bet on the Terrapins at -1.5.

Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 159.5, and our model predicts the Fighting Illini and Terrapins to score a combined 146 points. We recommend betting on the under.

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.