TV schedule: Thursday, January 23rd, 9:00 pm ET. FS1
Arena: State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois
On Sunday, the Big Ten had one of its biggest battles of the season, with Michigan State taking on Illinois. It was a close game at the end, but the Fighting Illini lost 80-78 to fall to 13-5 and 5-3 in league play.
Freshman Will Riley led the team with 19 points off the bench, while Tomislav Ivisic and Kylan Boswell each chipped in with 13 points. Their biggest problem was Kasparas Jakucionis, the team’s leading scorer, who was held to just three points in nine minutes played, before fouling out in the second half.
That loss hurt Illinois in the standings, as they’re now three games back of Michigan State in the Big Ten. So they can’t afford to lose any games if they want to have a chance at the regular-season title. That starts with their next opponent, the Maryland Terrapins (14-5, 4-4).
The Terps had their own close game on Sunday at home against Nebraska. They were able to prevail with a 69-66 win, thanks to 22 points, five assists, and four steals from Ja’Kobi Gillespie and 15 from Rodney Rice. Julian Reese had a good all-around game with eight points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks.
There are two big matchups to watch in this game. You have the lead guard battle between Gillespie and Kasparas in what could be a high-scoring game, while Ivisic and Illinois have to contend with both Reese and Derik Queen, the stud freshman center for the Terrapins.
This should be a fairly entertaining game that won’t be a blowout. But after what happened to the Illini on Sunday, look for them to be fairly motivated to avoid a losing skid and get back in the win column.
Prediction: Illinois 83, Maryland 71