Maryland Terrapins vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 1/6/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Maryland Terrapins vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Thursday, January 6, 2022

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: ESPN2

The Maryland Terrapins (8-5) are traveling to State Farm Center on Thursday where they will take on the Illinois Fighting Illini (10-3).

The Maryland Terrapins faced off with Iowa and ended up losing by a score of 80-75 in their last game. Maryland ended the contest having earned a 45.9% field goal percentage (28 out of 61) and knocked down 9 out of their 25 3-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Terrapins buried 10 of their 17 shots for a percentage of 58.8%. In reference to rebounding, they collected 36 with 12 of them being offensive. They also dished out 11 assists in the game while creating 7 turnovers and getting 6 steals. Concerning defense, Maryland let their opponent shoot 49.2% from the field on 30 of 61 shooting. Iowa totaled 17 assists and had 6 steals in this game. In addition, Iowa snagged 32 rebounds (10 offensive, 22 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Iowa walked away from this one shooting 63.2% at the free throw line by making 12 of 19 tries. They also converted 8 out of their 20 tries from distance. In relation to fouls, the Terrapins ended up finishing with 20 while Iowa recorded 15 fouls.

Eric Ayala is someone who had an impact in this matchup. He finished with 19 points on 5 out of 11 shooting. He played for 37 minutes played and grabbed 6 boards. He ended up shooting 45.5% from the field and earned 3 dimes.

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Maryland will play this contest with a win-loss mark of 8-5 for the campaign. They are averaging 70.7 points per outing (212th in Division 1) on 42.6% from the floor. The Terrapins are hitting 30.7% on three-point attempts (79 of 257) and 75.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, Maryland is collecting 39.2 boards per game and has tallied 162 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 224th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They turn the ball over 12.7 times per contest and as a basketball team are committing 15.2 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on the defensive end, the Terrapins are forcing 11.2 turnovers every game while drawing 19.2 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 34.0% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 142nd in college basketball in points per game allowed (66.9). The Terrapins are giving up a field goal percentage of 40.5% (317 of 782) and they relinquish 34.7 rebounds per game as a squad. They are ranked 194th in the nation in allowing assists to their opponents with 162 relinquished this season.

For their last game, the Illinois Fighting Illini walked away with a victory by a final of 76-53 against Minnesota. The Fighting Illini were able to snag 37 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds totaling 47 for this contest. They also gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while earning 3 steals for the contest. Minnesota had 16 fouls in this contest which took the Fighting Illini to the charity stripe for 19 shots. They were able to knock down 16 of those for a percentage of 84.2%. Regarding shots from beyond the perimeter, Illinois knocked down 6 of 14 tries (42.9%). Overall, the Fighting Illini finished the game shooting 27 for 59 from the floor which gave them a rate of 45.8%. The Fighting Illini permitted Minnesota to convert 22 of their 62 tries from the floor which had them sitting at 35.5% in the game. They finished 20.0% from three-point range by hitting 3 out of 15 and finished the contest at 6 of 13 at the free throw line (46.2%). In the matter of how they rebounded, Illinois permitted Minnesota to snag 23 overall (4 on the offensive side).

Kofi Cockburn pitched in for the Fighting Illini in this game. He buried 10 of 19 in this game for a rate of 52.6%, and had 10 rebounds. He tallied 29 points in his 24 minutes on the hardwood and added 2 assists in this game.

Illinois has a mark of 10-3 for the year. The Fighting Illini are responsible for committing 16.2 fouls per game and they hit 72.7% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 17.0 times per contest (24th in the nation) and they are losing possession via turnover 15.2 times per game. Illinois has tallied 1,050 pts so far this year (80.8 per contest) and they average 43.8 rebounds per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Fighting Illini are shooting 47.5% from the field, which has them ranked 49th in the country.

The Fighting Illini on the defensive side of the court are 92nd in college basketball in points allowed per contest with 64.6. They are able to force 11.1 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 38.7% from the field (32nd in Division 1). The Illinois defense gives up 31.5% on 3-point shots (78 of 248) and their opposition makes 70.0% of their foul shots. They concede 9.5 assists and 29.8 boards every game, which is ranked 17th and 15th in college basketball.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Illinois

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