Illinois vs. Maryland Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal

Iain MacMillan | Mar 14, 2025

Illinois and Maryland is set as a near pick'em in the Big Ten quarterfinals. / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Illinois managed to avoid an upset against Iowa in the second round of the Big Ten but now has a tough test against Maryland in the quarterfinals in Friday evening.

The Terps crushed the Fighting Illini in their regular season meeting, beating them by a final score of 91-70. Now, Illinois is trying to get its revenge with a berth in the conference semifinal on the line.

Let's dive into the odds, props, and best bet for this quarterfinal matchup.

Illinois vs. Maryland Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via BetMGM Sportsbook

Spread

• Illinois +1.5 (-118)
• Maryland -1.5 (-102)

Moneyline

• Illinois -102
• Maryland -118

Total

• OVER 157.5 (-110)
• UNDER 157.5 (-110)

Illinois vs. Maryland How to Watch

• Date: Friday. March 14
• Game Time: 6:30 PM EST
• Venue: Gainbridge Fieldhouse
• How to Watch (TV): BTN
• Illinois Record: 21-11 (12-8 Conference)
• Maryland Record: 24-7 (14-6 Conference)

Illinois vs. Maryland Key Players to Watch

Illinois

Kasparas Jakucionis: The Illinois leading scorer is averaging 15.0 points, but Iowa completely shut him down in the second round of the tournament, keeping him to shooting just 16.7% from the field. He needs to have a much better performance tonight if Illinois wants to win this game.

Maryland

Julian Reese: The last time these two teams faced off, Julian Reese had one of the more dominant performance of the season. He put up 27 points while grabbing 17 rebounds and blocking three shots. Illinois has to find a way to slow him down tonight.

Illinois vs. Maryland Prediction and Pick

Maryland is my pick to win the Big Ten tournament, so I'm going to back them in this game in what's set as close to a pick'em.

The Terps can do it all. They rank 57th in effective field goal percentage, eighth in defensive efficiency, and 23rd in extra scoring chances per game, averaging +4.6 per contest. Illinois ranks 95th, 83rd, and 118th in those three respective areas.

Illinois is also primarily a three-point shooting team but now they have to face a strong perimeter defense in the Terps, who ranks 32nd in opponent three-point field goal percentage, keeping teams to shooting just 30.8% from beyond the arc.

Pick: Maryland -1.5 (-102) via BetMGM

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