Three Instant Observations From Illinois Basketball's 78-72 Win Over Maryland

Finally, Illinois was able to shed the shackles and pull off an escape job in a tightly contested Big Ten game when it nudged ahead of Maryland at the end of Sunday's meeting in College Park for a 78-72 win. But even after the No. 11 Illini ended a streak of three straight losses in games decided by six points or less, the much more glaring takeaway was this:

How in the hell did they wind up in that pickle in the first place?

Illinois (24-7, 15-5) entered the game as a heavy favorite against flailing Maryland (11-20, 4-16), but there wasn't a moment across 40 minutes of game action when the Terrapins looked like a team that didn't belong on the floor with an Illini team that many once – and some still – consider to be a national championship contender.

For once, a tight first half for Illinois had nothing to do with lethargy or indifference. Maryland put on a shot-making show against an active, contesting Illini defense, and they matched the Terps matched the far bigger visitors blow for blow on the boards. Illinois clung to just a 37-34 lead at the half.

The game briefly hinged on a stretch roughly midway through the second half, with Illinois holding a 55-53 edge, when Terps forward Solomon Washington launched a three from the top of the key. When David Mirkovic came streaking in for a late contest, Washington clearly poked his leg out to send Mirkovic tumbling to the floor. The whistles hadn't been terribly friendly to the Illini up to that point, so it was a tense moment.

But the call went against Washington, Illinois appealed to have the foul upgraded to a Flagrant 1, and the officials eventually agreed. Mirkovic made two free throws, the ball went back to the Illini, and although they came away with an empty possession, moments later Keaton Wagler missed two free throws, then rebounded his second miss to draw another foul. This time, he hit both, staking Illinois to a 59-53 lead.

But Maryland was relentless – and specifically guard Andre Mills, who attacked the rim in the second half like it owed him money. The athletic 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman Mills moved with frenetic, constant energy with and without the ball, hunting matchups but destroying even those that were most favorable to the Illini. Mills scored 19 of his game-high 30 points in the second half Sunday, and his driving layup with 1:33 left the Terps trailing just 72-70.

B2B And-1s 💥

Andre Mills is making things happen for @TerrapinHoops.

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/kMTBmDnhmQ
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 8, 2026

In the end, Illinois went back to the star freshman who had led the charge all day – just not the one you're probably thinking of. With Wagler enduring a rare rough outing, Mirkovic balled out, bulled into the lane for a bucket with 59 seconds left to put Illinois up four and finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds as the Illini hit free throws to hold Maryland at arm's length the rest of the way.

Here are three more observations from the Illini's unexpected battle against the Terrapins:

1. Illinois has zone busters

With Maryland struggling to match up one-on-one with Illinois' size in the early going, Terps coach Buzz Williams deployed a 2-3 zone to try to change his club's luck. It had the effect of only worsening it.

Not only have the Illini become extremely adept at moving the ball quickly and accurately, seeking imbalances in a defense and the next man up who could knock down an open look, they have multiple big men capable of serving as the offensive fulcrum against a zone – notably Mirkovic and Tomislav Ivisic. Aside from wall-to-wall shooting, nothing is more valuable against a zone than a deft passer with size – and Illinois just happens to have both. Zvonimir Ivisic benefitted with a pair of dunks of perfect feeds, and the Illini gutted Maryland's 2-3 whenever Williams went to it. An offense that has proven equally effective against both man and zone builds resilience into the Illini attack for postseason play.

2. It's time to worry a bit about Wagler

Opponents with the right defensive instruments are learning how to drag Wagler into the muck: Attach the team's individual defender with the best combination of length, strength and athleticism to hound Wagler from arc to rim, and be sure to fill behind it – especially with well-timed weak-side help. Wagler has increasingly struggled to overcome a lack of verticality, and defenses that can both bump him off his line to the bucket and get a hand up to contest have blocked many of his offerings in the paint recently.

The good news for Illinois: Wagler isn't sweating it. He hasn't pressed or tried to compensate by shooting more from the arc. He has shown no outward signs of frustration. Even in one of his worst offensive performances of the year (11 points on 3-for-10 shooting, including 0-for-4 from three-point range), he stepped up with three steals and was a real monkey wrench in Maryland's offensive machine. But the Illini had better have contingency plans at the ready now that the postseason is here.

3. Brad Underwood had (almost) all the right moves

Illinois' Underwood gets a lot of stick for his game management acumen, or rather his struggles with it – and no one has been harsher in broaching the subject than we at Illinois on SI have been. So, fair play to Underwood: He pushed nearly all the buttons that needed pushing against the Terps.

Illinois HC Brad Underwood did not appreciate a reporter’s question about closing out games following the team’s win at Maryland to end the regular season. pic.twitter.com/ShQeLdS57p
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 8, 2026

It was Underwood's call to submit two challenges to the officials – one on the Washington trip of Mirkovic and another on an out-of-bounds ball initially called off the Illini – and he cashed in on both. The latter ruling, which came while Illinois was hanging by its fingernails late in the game, was a massive reversal. And with two minutes remaining and the Illini up 4, Underwood – gasp! – called a 30-second timeout. It hardly matters why or what was said. In a hectic game on the road, and with two key freshman on their way to logging 35 (Mirkovic) and 34 minutes (Wagler), the break settled the Illini.

Now, it would be dandy if Underwood could also conjure a scheme to stop the bleeding when yet another explosive scoring wing rips open Illinois' defense, but Sunday was progress. Game ball goes to coach.