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 Maryland entered the week in a three-way tie for second place in the
Big Ten and is trying to hold off Michigan State and Wisconsin for
the No. 2 spot in the Big Ten tournament. The Terrapins were flying
through the schedule and looking like a team that could challenge
for the top spot before falling to Wisconsin, Minnesota and Purdue
within the last four contests. The Fighting Illini are sitting in
12th place in the 14-team conference heading into the final week of
the regular season but could jump up to 10th if everything breaks
right, which would help them avoid playing on the opening day of the
tournament. Illinois ensured that it would avoid 13th place with an
84-71 win over Minnesota on Sunday but will play its final two
regular-season games on the road.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
ABOUT ILLINOIS (13-16, 5-11 Big Ten): The Fighting Illini are
averaging 57.7 points in their last six losses while scoring an
average of 89 in the last three wins. Junior guard Kendrick Nunn
personified the inconsistency when he scored eight points in a 74-47
loss to Indiana on Thursday but went off for 25 in Sunday’s win over
Minnesota. Freshman Jalen Coleman-Lands was immune to that two-game
swing and averaged 19.5 points in those two games to earn Big Ten
Freshman of the Week honors.
ABOUT MARYLAND (23-6, 11-5): The Terrapins were in the running for a
No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament before the recent downturn
and are now looking more at the No. 3 or No. 4 spots on the bracket.
Maryland star guard Melo Trimble is averaging 13.3 points in those
last four games but has seen his shooting percentage take a dive by
going 11-of-47 from the floor in that span. The Terrapins were
crushed on the boards 41-22 in an 83-79 loss at Purdue on Saturday
but still owns a plus-3.5 rebounding margin on the season against a
minues-5.5 for Illinois.
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TIP-INS
1. Illinois leading scorer G Malcolm Hill (18.2 points) has gone for
20 or more in three of the last four games.
2. Terrapins F Jake Layman is 12-of-14 from the field in the last
two games.
3. Hill scored 28 points in a 64-57 home win over the Terrapins last
season in the schools’ first meeting as Big Ten opponents.
PREDICTION: Maryland 85, Illinois 70
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