Illinois Face-Plants Against Maryland in Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal

The Illini's bumbling with the ball and struggles to bottle up perimeter shooters tripped them up Friday in Indianapolis

Mar 14, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie (0) steals the ball from Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) during the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Everything seemed to be pointed in a new direction – forward – when seventh-seeded Illinois dug in against second-seeded Maryland in Friday's quarterfinal matchup in the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.

Instead, inside Gainbride Fieldhouse, the Illini buckled at the knees, took two long backwards steps and then cartoonishly face-planted, all under the watchful gaze of the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

Two bad turnovers, two quick fouls on center Tomislav Ivisic and too little defense – against pick-and-roll, on the perimeter and in transition – put the Illini in a cavernous early hole that they found no way out of as Maryland won 88-65 and motored on to the tournament semifinals.

Back in January in Champaign, the story had been Illinois' utter inability to slow Maryland bigs Derik Queen and Julian Reese. On Friday, the Illini (21-12) took it to the next level, displaying an across-the-board ineptitude that was, in its own twisted way, impressive given how sharp they looked in scoring over 100 points in dispatching Iowa one night earlier.

Two numbers told Friday's tale. In a matchup when all else statistically speaking was roughly equal – or even in the Illini's favor – turnovers (Illinois had 17 of them) and poor perimeter defense (Maryland shot 11-for-23, or 47.8 percent, on threes) caught up with coach Brad Underwood's crew yet again.

The Terps (25-7) wasted no time lowering the boom, capitalizing on all those early Illini missteps to race out to a 29-10 lead. By halftime, the Illini had 11 turnovers, Ivisic had three fouls and Maryland had knocked down 11 of 23 three-point attempts (47.8 percent) to take a 57-31 lead at the break.

Maryland really dropped 57 in the first half 🤯#B1GMBBT x @TerrapinHoops pic.twitter.com/mWzFXw9kUZ

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 14, 2025

Although Big Ten Freshman of the Year Queen flexed his muscles in the paint on the Illini again (23 points and 10 rebounds), Maryland wasn't shy about launching from outside either. Late close-outs and leaving shooters hurt Illinois' cause, but even when well covered, the Terps could have blown up the Death Star with their first-half marksmanship.

Illini guard Kylan Boswell briefly found a rhythm driving to the rim, and his free throws and layup to punctuate a 10-3 Illini run that closed the Terps' advantage to 44-28 with four minutes left before halftime offered a glimmer of hope. That was quickly snuffed by a Jordan Geronimo transition dunk, a Ja'Kobi Gillespie three off a turnover and – as the coup de grâce – a booted crossover dribble by Kasparas Jakucionis with two seconds before the buzzer, which led to Gillespie plucking away possession, Jakucionis fouling and Glllespie sinking a pair of free throws to shovel a bit more coal into the furnace of the runaway train.

No moment better illustrated the combination of skill, luck and downhill momentum the Terps were working with Friday than a sequence with just over 13 minutes to play. After Boswell had scrambled to stick back a second-chance layup to shave Maryland's lead to 22, Terps guard Rodney Rice sank a three. After a rushed (and missed) Jakucionis three attempt, Rice, back on offense, slipped to the ground coming off a screen.

He rolled, writhed and grabbed his calf, but when he realized he was all alone at the top of the key, he popped upright, firing and hitting an and-one three on which Jakucionis clipped him on the contest. Rice missed the foul shot, but it captured the moment: Illinois couldn't win for losing.

Rice finished with a game-high 26 points and seven threes – one short of the tournament record. For the Illini, Jakucionis filled the stat sheet with 15 points, 10 rebounds and four assists – but also six turnovers. Will Riley matched Jakucionis' 15, and Boswell chipped in 14.

Maryland moved on to Saturday's semifinal against the Michigan-Purdue winner, while the Illini return to Champaign to await the call from the selection committee, hoping that the fallout from Friday won't ding their NCAA Tournament seeding too egregiously.

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