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College Basketball

MARYLAND TERRAPINS VS. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI PICKS, PREDICTIONS, ODDS

Daniel Dobish
Daniel Dobish Sports Betting Expert
6 minute read

The Maryland Terrapins (8-5, 0-2 Big Ten) travel to meet the Illinois Fighting Illini (10-3, 3-0) on Thursday night at State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on ESPN2.

SCORE PREDICTION

Illinois 75, Maryland 66

BEST BETS

Maryland +11.5 (-110) at BetMGM

Under 142.5 (-110) at BetMGM

MARYLAND TERRAPINS VS. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI PREDICTIONS

Maryland was on the short end of an 80-75 score at Iowa on Monday, but the Terrapins were able to pick up the cover as 9.5-point underdog. The Terps have covered consecutive games for the first time all season, too, while hitting the OVER in back-to-back games for the first time, as well. Believe it or not, Maryland has covered three or more games in a row since a 4-0 ATS run from Jan. 18-30, 2020, nearly two calendar years ago.

The Terps shot a respectable 46% from the floor, or 28-of-61, while going 36%, or 9-of-25, from behind the 3-point line. The biggest reason Maryland suffered the setback might have been due to its struggles at the free-throw line, hitting just 59%, or 10-of-17, from the charity stripe. The good news is that Maryland turned it over just nine times, while outrebounding Iowa 36 to 32. Star Eric Ayala scored 19 points, including five 3-pointers, one of five players to go for double digits in I-City.

The Fighting Illini absolutely hammered Minnesota on Tuesday in the Twin Cities, rolling up a 76-53 win as 6.5-point favorites. The Illini has now covered three in a row, and six of the past seven. Kofi Cockburn went off with 29 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots with a pair of steals. He was 9-of-11 from the free-throw line, too, and the Illini hit 16-of-19, or 84%, from the charity stripe.

Illinois is on a roll, and it's going to be a tall order for Maryland to cool down Cockburn and his cohorts.

MARYLAND TERRAPINS VS. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI BETTING ODDS

More Odds | Futures Odds

MARYLAND TERRAPINS VS. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI BETTING RESOURCES

  • Matchup: Big 10
  • Date: Thursday, January 6, 2022
  • Venue: State Farm Center
  • Location: Champaign, Illinois
  • TV-Time: ESPN2 - 7:00 p.m. ET

MARYLAND TERRAPINS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 8-5
  • ATS: 5-8
  • O/U: 5-8

As mentioned above, Maryland hasn't covered three in a row in nearly two full calendar years, so it has its work cut out in Champaign against the high-flying Fighting Illini. The good news for backers of the Terrapins is that they're catching double-digit points. In the only two games this season as an underdog of six or more points, Maryland is 2-0 ATS. The last time Maryland was a double-digit 'dog was last season at Michigan, losing 87-63 on Jan. 19, 2021 as 11-point underdogs. Of course, in its most recent visit to Illinois on Jan. 10, 2021, Maryland was a 10.5-point underdog and it win outright, 66-63 as the UNDER connected.

This will be just the second true road games for the Terps this season. They covered in Iowa in Monday's game as 9.5-point underdogs as the OVER cashed. In four games either away from home or on a neutral floor, Maryland is 3-1 SU/ATS while hitting the OVER in three of the past four.

Maryland has actually won three straight in this series, too, with the last victory for the Illini coming in College Park on Jan. 26, 2019. Maryland also has a 5-3 ATS edge in the past eight meetings, with the OVER 4-3 in the past seven, including the OVER hitting two of the past three meetings in Champaign.

ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 10-3
  • ATS: 7-6
  • O/U: 9-4

Illinois has covered three in a row, and six of the past seven games overall. The last time the Illini covered four in a row was when they closed out the regular season with four straight wins and covers from Feb. 25-March 6, 2021 last season.

Illinois has posted an impressive 5-0 ATS mark in the past five games a a favorite, while going 5-1 ATS in the past six against teams with a winning overall mark. The Illini are also 4-1 ATS in the past five as a home favorite, too. For totals, the OVER is 8-1 in the past nine games overall, while going 6-0 in the past six games at home. The OVER is also 5-0 in the past five as a home favorite.

The Illini have covered the past three as a favorite of 9.5 or more points, and they have covered five in a row as a favorite of 12 or more points dating back to last season.

As far as the totals, the UNDER hit last time out in Minnesota, snapping a 8-0 OVER run from Nov. 23-Dec. 22. The 76 points scored at Minnesota were actually the worst production since dropping 72 in a neutral-floor battle against K-State on Nov. 23.


Illinois is 5-1 ATS in the past six games against teams with a winning overall record. (AP)

INSIDE THE STATS - MARYLAND TERRAPINS

  • Record: 8-5
  • VI Ranking: 43
  • PS/G: 70.7 (211th)
  • PA/G: 66.9 (143rd)
  • ORtg: 101.9 (203rd)
  • DRtg: 96.5 (164th)

INSIDE THE STATS - ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI

  • Record: 10-3
  • VI Ranking: 27
  • PS/G: 80.8 (25th)
  • PA/G: 64.6 (93rd)
  • ORtg: 115.0 (18th)
  • DRtg: 92.0 (76th)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

  • MARY: Eric Ayala - G (15.2 PPG, 4.8 PPG, 2.2 APG, 33.7 3P%)
  • MARY: Donta Scott - F (11.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.2 APG, 40.1 FG%)
  • ILL: Kofi Cockburn - C (22.5 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 1.2 BPG, 1.2 APG)
  • ILL: Alfonso Plummer - G (16.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.0 APG, 43.3 3P%)

MARYLAND TERRAPINS VS. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI BETTING CONCLUSION

Maryland put up a nice fight in Iowa City the other night, but they weren't nearly as impressive as Illinois in the Twin Cities, dismantling a decent Minnesota team. It's going to be difficult for the Terrapins to slow down Cockburn, who is playing with a lot of confidence right now. This Illinois team started a bit slow, and it was disjointed in the three games to start the season when Cockburn was suspended by the NCAA. It took a few games for the chemistry to return, but this is a well-oiled machine looking to make plenty of noise in the Big Ten.

Look for this to be a pretty close game in the first half, but the Illini will start to pull away in the second half, as Cockburn, Alfonso Plummer and company flex a little muscle on its home floor. I am also a little concerned about Maryland's free-throw shooting, as that was a complete disaster in Iowa.

MARYLAND TERRAPINS VS. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI BETTING TRENDS

  • Illinois is 6-1 ATS in the past seven games overall.
  • Illinois is 5-0 ATS in the past five as a favorite.
  • Illinois is 4-1 ATS in the past five as a home favorite.
  • Illinois is 5-1 ATS in the past six vs. winning teams.
  • The OVER is 4-1 in Maryland's past five road games.
  • The OVER is 4-1 in Maryland's past five as a road 'dog.
  • The UNDER is 20-9 in the past 29 games for Maryland.
  • The OVER is 8-1 in the past nine games for Illinois.
  • The OVER is 6-0 in the past six home games for Illinois.
  • The OVER is 6-1 in the past seven as a favorite for Illinois.
  • The road team is 4-0 ATS in the past four meetings.
  • The underdog is 6-0 ATS in the past six meetings.

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Daniel Dobish

Daniel Dobish

Dan is a handicapper and sports betting expert for VegasInsider with years of experience writing for a number of top publications in the industry. More from Daniel Dobish
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