Men's Basketball Unable To Pull Off Upset Against No. 11 Illinois
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The Maryland men's basketball team had No.11 Illinois on the ropes, in a closely contested 78-72 loss on Senior Day at Xfinity Center this afternoon. It was a game where Illinois entered the matchup as heavy favorites, but Maryland never faltered, keeping the regular-season finale within arm's reach throughout the contest.
Terps' (11-20, 4-16 Big Ten) guard Andre Mills led the charge with 30 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the floor, hitting two three-pointers, 8-of-10 from the free-throw line, with four rebounds and three assists. It was Mills' six-straight contest finishing in double figures and his second 30-point performance on the season.
His name is @Andre2timez1 for a reason 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/MzfRAPI6wY
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) March 8, 2026
The first half was back-and-forth, with very little separation between the two teams and a lot of trading baskets. Illinois (24-7, 15-5 Big Ten) led 37-34 at halftime.
Illinois center Zvonimir Ivisic made a pair of free throws to take its largest lead, 70-62, at the 4:42 mark in the second half.
However, three straight scored possessions by the Terrapins and stops on the defensive end cut the deficit to 72-70 at the 1:33 mark.
On the ensuing play, Elijah Saunders did a great job contesting a jump shot by Illinois, which fell short and was tipped out of bounds by Illinois in the fight for possession.
The Fighting Illini challenged the ruling on the floor, which was overturned, and they were granted possession of the ball back. David Mirkovic didn't waste the opportunity, freeing himself for a layup, going up by two possessions with 59 seconds left.
Maryland struggled to draw up a good look, which resulted in Buzz Williams calling a timeout with about five seconds on the shot clock. As the timeout was called, David Coit had hit a three-pointer from the left wing.
Out of the timeout, Mills was forced to chuck up a deep contested three-pointer from the top of the key that fell short off the front of the rim.
Darius Adams had a chance to cut the four-point lead down to two under the final 10 seconds, but it fell short, ending the game.
Adams scored 14 points, and Coit finished with 10 to round out the double-digit scoring for Maryland.
Coit, Saunders, Solomon Washington, and Collin Metcalf were the seniors honored before the game. It was also noted that Maryland honored seniors from the cheer and dance teams, band, and student managers on Sunday.
Once a Terp, Always a Terp 🐢 pic.twitter.com/2BccUZU7NI
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) March 8, 2026
Key Team Stats
- Illinois shot 47% from the field (26-of-55) and 81% at the charity stripe (21-of-26).
- Maryland hit nine three-pointers, holding a plus-4 advantage.
- The Fighting Illini held a 42-20 advantage in points scored in the paint.
Up Next:
Despite the rough 2025-26 season for the Terps, they get a fresh start in the Big Ten Tournament that begins this upcoming week. The Terps hold the No. 17 seed and will square off against the No. 16-seeded Oregon Ducks on Tuesday in the opening game.
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Jaden's sports journalism career began at the College of Southern Maryland from 2022-2023, where he was brought in to cover baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball at CSM. In late 2023, he began interning at the University of Maryland Athletics Department as a contributing writer to help develop feature stories and game recaps. He also creates his own sports media content on professional Washington teams with LegacyMaker Sports Network.