The Maryland Terrapins finally got the big win they were looking for two nights ago. Maryland has been on the outside looking in at the Top 25 rankings, despite a 15-2 record, because of its weak non-conference slate. However, a win against Indiana is going to five the Terps the respect they deserve and attention from voters. Now, they must go on the road and take on the Illinois Fighting Illini, a team that Maryland already defeated in College Park earlier this season.
This war on the floor will go down on Saturday, January 14, 2017, at 6 p.m. ET at the State Farm Center. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. We will have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Maryland is 7-6-2 ATS on the season, but 2-0 ATS on the road. The Terrapins knocked off both Georgetown and Michigan in their arenas as an underdog and have shown the ability to play in a hostile environment. In their games away from College Park, the over has had a solid record of 4-1 on the year.
Illinois is 4-3-1 ATS at home this year and has knocked off two of the traditional Big Ten powers in Michigan and Ohio State in the last two weeks. Since December 17, the Fighting Illini have not played a game that finished under the total, with the over going 5-0 during that timeframe.
Previous Meeting
These teams met in Maryland just two weeks ago and the Terrapins handed the Illini their worst loss of the season. Maryland jumped out to a 16-point halftime lead and eventually defeated Illinois 84-59, easily covering the 3-point spread.
The story of the game was how effective the Terps were from the floor throughout the game. Maryland ended up hitting 55.9 percent of its field goals, but even more impressively, hit better than two-thirds of its two-point attempts. Many of these buckets were good looks created close to the basket by good passes.
If there’s one thing that both teams need to improve on from last time, it’s turnovers. Illinois turned the ball over 17 times, while Maryland turned it over 14 times, and the majority of turnovers on both sides were unforced. Additionally, Illinois has to do better than the 18.2 percent it shot from the three-point line.
Player to Watch
ESPN will be talking up Melo Trimble in order to promote this game, but Illinois’ Malcolm Hill has been a real spark for the Illini this season and possibly means more to his team than Trimble does to Maryland.
Hill has been an extremely consistent shooter since winning a starting role as a sophomore and is hitting 44 percent from the floor for the third straight season. However, where his game has improved and made Illinois a deadlier team is in his three-point shooting.
He is averaging 2 threes a game and is knocking them down at a 40 percent clip this year. Maryland’s perimeter defense is pretty solid, allowing teams to hit just 31.8 percent of their three-point attempts all season, so it will be a test to beat this defense.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
The Terrapins are going to get a big boost in this one with the likely return of Michal Cekovsky and Dion Wiley. Wiley was expected to play in Maryland’s victory over Indiana, but Mark Turgeon didn’t want to put him back into the rotation with the Terps bench playing well. Cekovsky has been out since mid-December with an ankle injury, but was considered almost ready against Indiana and should see the floor here.
Even though Maryland is the more talented side, especially with Cekovsky and Wiley back, look for the Illini to get a big win here. Illinois has played extremely well at home and Maryland might be having a let-down after a huge win against Indiana.
College Basketball Odds: Illinois 74, Maryland 71
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