Thursday, March 3, 2016

Comcast Center

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The Illinois Fighting Illini travel to Comcast Center to play the Maryland Terrapins on Thursday, March 3, 2016. The opening line for this game has Maryland as 14.5 point favorites and the over/under has been set at 142.

The Fighting Illini come into this game with an overall record of 13-16 and a road record of 2-6. They are 14-12 against the spread and their over/under record is 13-13. The Terrapins have an overall record of 23-6 and a home record of 15-1. They have an over/under record of 11-16 and they are 11-14 against the spread.

Malcolm Hill comes into this contest averaging 18.2 points per game while playing 35.3 minutes per night so far this season for the Fighting Illini. He pulls down 6.6 rebounds per game and dishes out 3.4 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 44% while his free throw percentage is currently at 82%. Kendrick Nunn averages 16.4 points per game in 35.1 minutes per contest this season. He averages 1.7 assists per contest and 5 rebounds per game for Illinois. His field goal percentage is 43% for the year while his free throw percentage is 79%.

Melo Trimble averages 14.2 points per game while playing 32.5 minutes per contest this year for the Terrapins. He grabs 3.3 rebounds per game and has 5.2 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 42% and his free throw percentage currently is at 86%. Diamond Stone averages 13 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 22.9 minutes per contest. He also averages 5.4 rebounds per contest and 0.3 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 56% and his free throw percentage is 78%.

Illinois averages 72.7 points per contest this season which ranks them 170th in the nation. Their average scoring margin is -2.1 and their shooting percentage is 43% as a team which has them ranked 205th. Behind the arc they shoot 36% which is good for 98th in the country. They average 31.7 rebounds per game and 13.6 assists per game which ranks them 327th and 150th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 20th with 10.4 per game. The Fighting Illini allow 74.8 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 240th in the nation. They also allow a 46% shooting percentage and a 37% average from behind the arc ranking them 279th and 303rd in those defensive categories. Opponents average 37.3 rebounds a game which ranks 260th and they give up 14.4 assists per contest which puts them in 263rd place in the country. They force 13.4 turnovers per game which ranks them 107th in the Division 1.

Maryland averages 75.6 points per game this year which ranks them 104th in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 9.9 and their shooting percentage is 49% as a team which has them sitting in the 12th spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 36% which is good for 108th in the nation. They average 36.5 rebounds per game and 13.7 assists per contest which ranks them 143rd and 137th respectively. In the turnover department the Terrapins rank 226th with 13.2 per game. The Terrapins allow 65.7 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 34th in the country. They also allow a 41% shooting percentage and a 32% average from behind the arc ranking them 35th and 44th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 33.2 rebounds a game which ranks 60th and they give up 11.3 assists per contest which puts them in 51st place in the nation. The Terrapins force 11.5 turnovers per game which ranks them 280th in college basketball.

The Fighting Illini average 72.3 points per game on the road this season and they have scored 63.7 ppg in their past 3 contests. They have an average scoring differential of -3.4 on the road and in their past 3 games their difference is -7.7 per contest. The Fighting Illini have an offensive rating of 102.8 and they assist on 53.7% of their shots. In terms of pace they average 69.2 possessions per 40 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 50%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 54% and they shoot 3 pointers on 39% of their shots. Illinois turns the ball over an average of 13.5 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 7.8% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage is 46% while their offensive rebound percentage is 21.5%. The Fighting Illini give up 75.7 points per game on the road this season and they have surrendered 71.3 points per contest in their last 3 games.

The Terrapins score 77.9 ppg at home and they have averaged 76 points per contest in their last 3 games.They have an average scoring differential of -1.7 in their past 3 contests and at home this season they have a difference of 14.3 points per game. The Terrapins have a rating on offense of 112.1 and 51.9% of their shots are assisted. They possess the ball 67.6 times per 40 minutes and their effective field goal percentage for the year is 56%. As an offensive unit they have a true shooting percentage of 60% and they attempt 3 pointers on 37% of their shots. Maryland turns it over an average of 17.3 times per 100 possessions and they steal the ball on 8.8% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage is 52.6% while their offensive rebound percentage for the season is 29.3%. The Terrapins give up 63.7 points per contest at home this year and they have given up 77.7 points per game in their past 3 contests.

Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Trends

The Illinois Fighting Illini are 14-12 against the spread

The Illinois Fighting Illini are 13-13 against the over/under

Maryland Terrapins Betting Trends

The Maryland Terrapins are 11-14 against the spread

The Maryland Terrapins are 11-16 against the over/under

Illinois Fighting Illini Injuries

12/20/15 F Leron Black Knee out for season
11/14/15 G Tracy Abrams Achilles out for season
02/12/16 F Mike Thorne Jr. Knee out for season

Maryland Terrapins Injuries

11/11/15 G Dion Wiley Knee out for season

Tony's Pick: Take Illinois

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