NCAAB Saturday February 17th Illinois at Maryland Betting Preview

Brad Underwood’s Fighting Illini (18-6) club faces a tough road test in the February 17th Illinois at Maryland betting matchup. The Terrapins (14-11) upset then #10 Illinois 76-67 on January 14th in Champaign as +9 point underdogs.

The Fighting Illini are a -2.5 favorite for Saturday afternoon’s road meeting in College Park, as they’ve gone 6-2 since the loss to Maryland last month. The Terrapins had lost five of seven following the previous upset of Illinois, but did look good in a 78-66 victory over Iowa on Wednesday.

Why Illinois Has Value at -2.5

The Fighting Illini have revenge on their mind following their lone conference home loss of the season last month against Maryland. The Terrapins were led by 28 points from Jahmir Young and another 20 from Julian Reese but Illinois was also without their leading scorer Terrence Shannon, Jr. in that game.

Shannon missed time this season after being suspended by the university following sexual assault allegations. That suspension has since been rescinded, and Shannon is getting back in the groove as he’s upped his scoring average to 21.1 ppg after going for 23+ points in three of the last four.

Illinois has momentum coming into Saturday night’s game, winning four of their last five including a dominant 97-68 victory over Michigan on Tuesday night. That’s six times in the last eight games scoring over 86 points for the #3 offense in the Big Ten.

Why Maryland Has Value at +2.5

Illinois has a great offense, that’s undeniable as they are #6 in the KenPom rankings in efficiency on that end of the court. It can be hard for an offense to travel in a hostile environment though, and Maryland has gone 11-3 at the Xfinity Center this season.

The Terrapins’ defense has been arguably more impressive than the Illinois offense this season, ranking #5 in the KenPom efficiency ratings. Maryland just held Iowa to 41% from the field and 6-22 from three point range on Wednesday in a 78-66 victory and the Hawkeyes are the #2 scoring offense in the Big Ten (83.5 ppg) just ahead of Illinois. The Fighting Illini shot just 33% (21-64) in the first meeting with the Terps’ and that was at home.

While Shannon, Jr. is back for Illinois, Young has been on an absolute roll for Maryland averaging 23.5 ppg so far in four games this month which includes dropping 31 against Michigan State. Reese also has a 12+ rebound double-double in five of his last seven games so the Terrapins are getting some offensive production to go along with that tenacious defense.

Free February 17th Illinois at Maryland Betting Pick

58% of the betting public likes the Fighting Illini in this spot but this is a tough situation for Illinois. The Maryland defense can pester a team, especially at home and especially with the confidence of beating the Illini earlier this season in Champaign. Young is a scoring machine right now and Reese has been corralling every loose ball for the Terps.

Free Pick: Maryland +2.5