Maryland Terrapins vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 1/23/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Maryland Terrapins vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Thursday, January 23, 2025

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: FS1

State Farm Center is the location where the Illinois Fighting Illini (13-5) will attempt to defeat the Maryland Terrapins (14-5) on Thursday.

The Maryland Terrapins faced Nebraska and walked away with a win by a score of 69-66 in their last contest. Maryland wrapped up the contest with a 44.8% field goal percentage (26 of 58) and converted 10 of 25 three-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Terrapins made 7 of their 12 attempts for a rate of 58.3%. Pertaining to pulling down rebounds, they collected 30 with 8 of them being offensive. They also doled out 15 assists for the game in addition to creating 13 turnovers and having 8 steals. In relation to defending, Maryland allowed 46.6% from the field on 27 of 58 shooting. Nebraska totaled 15 dimes and had 8 steals for this contest. Furthermore, Nebraska collected 29 rebounds (5 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Nebraska finished the game shooting 54.5% from the charity stripe by burying 6 of 11 tries. They also made 6 of their 16 shots from beyond the arc. When talking about personal fouls, the Terrapins ended up with 13 and Nebraska finished the game with 14 personal fouls.

Ja'Kobi Gillespie is one player who was a major contributor in the game. He accumulated 22 points on 8 out of 15 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 36 minutes played but finished the game without grabbing a rebound. He went 53.3% from the field and also earned 5 dimes.

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Maryland heads into this contest with a win-loss record of 14-5 so far this year. They are turning it over 10.6 times per contest and as a team they commit 15.7 personal fouls every game. As a team, Maryland is collecting 37.0 boards per game and has accounted for 294 dimes so far this year, which is 85th in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Terrapins are shooting 36.1% on shots from 3-point land (157 of 435) and 75.0% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 83.2 pts per contest (23rd in the country) while hitting 48.7% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Terrapins are forcing 15.5 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.4 fouls. They are surrendering 31.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 29th in college in points per game allowed (64.5). The Terrapins defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 41.5% (451 of 1,086) and they surrender 32.0 boards per contest as a team. They are 88th in D-1 in giving up assists with 219 conceded on the campaign.

The last time they took the court, the Illinois Fighting Illini took a loss by a final score of 80-78 against Michigan State. With respect to attacking the glass, Illinois permitted Michigan State to get 35 in total (11 on the offensive glass). They finished the game shooting 30.0% from three-point range by shooting 3 of 10 and ended up going 21 out of 27 at the free throw line (77.8%). The Fighting Illini allowed Michigan State to convert 28 of 65 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 43.1% in the matchup. When all was said and done, the Fighting Illini shot 28 for 66 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.4%. Concerning shooting from downtown, Illinois converted 5 of 24 tries (20.8%). They were able to knock down 17 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 63.0%. Michigan State was called for 20 fouls for the game which got the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for 27 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while getting 3 steals for the game. The Fighting Illini were able to snag 25 defensive boards and 13 offensive boards totaling 38 for the matchup.

Will Riley ended up being a factor for the Fighting Illini in this game. He totaled 19 points in his 26 mins of playing time and added 2 dimes in the matchup. He made 7 of 17 for this contest giving him a rate of 41.2%, and had 6 rebounds.

Illinois has a win-loss record of 13-5 for the year. On the offensive side of the court, the Fighting Illini are hitting on 44.9% from the floor, which is 187th in the nation. Illinois has totaled 1,562 pts this season (86.8 per game) and they average 45.2 boards per contest. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 15.3 times per contest (99th in Division 1) and they are giving up possession 11.6 times per game. The Fighting Illini have committed 16.3 personal fouls every game while shooting 76.2% from the charity stripe.

The Illinois defense allows 27.9% from downtown (100 of 359) and opponents are converting on 68.5% of their free throw attempts. They have allowed 10.4 dimes and 33.5 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 27th and 136th in the nation. The Fighting Illini on the defensive end are ranked 83rd in college in points per game surrendered with 68.0. They are able to force 10.8 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 38.8% from the field (17th in D-1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Illinois

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