The Maryland Terrapins (14-5, 4-4 Big Ten) take on the No. 17 Illinois Fighting Illini (13-5, 5-3) Thursday. Tip-off from the State Farm Center is set for 9 p.m. ET. (FS1). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s college basketball odds around the Maryland vs. Illinoisodds, and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
The Terps snuck by Nebraska 69-66 Sunday to win their third in 4 games. They failed to cover as 9.5-point favorites. G Ja’Kobi Gillespie had 22 points and went 5-for-9 from downtown. F Julian Reese was a presence in the paint with 8 points, 10 boards and 4 blocks.
U of I came up short at Michigan State Sunday, dropping the tilt 80-78, just missing the cover as a 1-point dog. G Kasparas Jakucionis played just 8 minutes due to foul trouble. Four players were in double figures, but it was F Will Riley stepping up off the bench to lead the team with 19 points.
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Maryland at Illinois odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:10 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Maryland +310 (bet $100 to win $310) | Illinois -400 (bet $400 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Maryland +8.5 (-105) | Illinois -8.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 157.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Maryland at Illinois picks and predictions
Prediction
Illinois 81, Maryland 78
Moneyline
Maryland is 6-4 over the last 10, and those 4 losses all came on the road at Big Ten schools. That trend should continue, but Illinois (-400) is far too expensive to consider.
Let’s take a small risk with a big reward and go with JA’KOBE GILLISPIE OVER 2.5 THREES (+145). He has hit 3+ threes in 3 of 5, going 16-for-35 (45.7%) during that stretch. He’s clearly feeling it, and he’ll be the one to keep Maryland in it.
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Against the spread
Illinois has played just twice in the last 9 days, and its best player barely played in the last one and missed some time previously due to injury. I didn’t really like its side of this before discovering that. Maryland is tied for 22nd at 83.2 points per game, and while all 4 of its losses in the last 10 came at Big Ten schools, it lost those games by 2, 4, 6 and 5 points.
Take MARYLAND +8.5 (-105).
Over/Under
The Terps are 6-4 O/U in their last 10, and their last game hit the Under, which snapped a 4-game Over streak. Illinois is 7-3 O/U in its last 10, and this matchup has resulted in a 6-3-1 O/U record in the last 10.
Take the OVER 157.5 (-115).
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