The Maryland Terrapins (18-4) visit the Illinois Fighting Illini (16-6) in a key Friday night meeting at State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET. We analyze the Maryland-Illinois odds and betting lines, with college basketball betting advice and tips around this matchup.
Maryland at Illinois: Three things you need to know
1. The ninth-ranked (USA Today Sports Coaches Poll) Terrapins and 21st-ranked Illini are tied atop the Big Ten standings at 8-3. Maryland beat Illinois 59-58 in College Park Dec. 7, and the Terps have won five games (all in-conference affairs) in a row after losing 4-of-7 from mid-December to mid-January. The Illini are coming off a road loss at Iowa Sunday. That loss snapped a seven-game winning streak. Illinois heads into Friday’s game having won seven straight at home.
2. The Fighting Illini have out-rebounded five of their last six opponents. Illinois’ work on the offensive glass — where the team ranks sixth in the nation — is a difference-maker. Maryland is a solid rebounding team but its edge in that facet of the game has waned in recent weeks. Recent against the spread losses have been tied to opponent success on the offensive boards.
3. A note from small-samplesville: Over the last two seasons, Maryland is 1-3 against the spread in Friday games away from home. What stands out in a look at those games is the Terps have flopped in the losses (big margins of defeat, a near loss to Harvard). Dovetailing off that, the 2019-20 Terrapins are 0-3 ATS away from home after playing two-plus games at home.
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Maryland at Illinois: Odds, betting lines and picks
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:15 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Illinois 67, Maryland 63
Moneyline (ML)
No lean here with the pricing. PASS. (Illinois -161, Maryland +135).
Against the Spread (ATS)
Illinois is 5-2 ATS over its last seven home games and 5-2 ATS against teams allowing fewer than 65 points per game. Maryland has beaten the spread in six straight, and the Terps’ in-game leads don’t support that level of success. The line here (or at least the price) brings in in some recency bias: TAKE ILLINOIS (-3, -110).
Over/Under (O/U)
The Over is 5-3 in Maryland road games and 5-1 in Illinois’ last six home games against a team with a winning road record. Maryland’s ability to get to the line and score without using much time helps tip this one into 130-point territory.
TAKE OVER 126.5 (-150).
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