Maryland Terrapins vs. Illinois Fighting Illini: 3 Things to Know
By Cory Forsyth
Maryland Terrapins look to improve to 3-0 in the Big Ten as they travel to Illinois on Wednesday.
Teams: #11 Maryland Terrapins (14-1, 2-0) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (10-5, 0-2)
Arena: State Farm Center (17,085) | Champaign, Illinois
Tip-Off: Wednesday, January 7 | 9pm ET/8pm CT
Tune In: BTN – Eric Collins (Play-by-Play), Shon Morris (Analyst), Terrapin Sports Radio Network – Johnny Holliday (Play-by-Play), Chris Knoche (Analyst), Walt Williams (Sideline); SiriusXM 84, ESPN 980
Social: Follow @TerrapinHoops and @umterps for live game updates on Twitter.
After beating Minnesota at home on Saturday to improve to 2-0 in the Big Ten, the 11th-ranked Maryland Terrapins men’s basketball team heads west for a two-game road trip.
The Terps first stop will be in Champaign, Illinois where they will take on the Fighting Illini who are currently 0-2 in the Big Ten having lost at Michigan and at #20 Ohio State.
3 Things to Know
1. Illinois Can Score Points
The Illini are coming off of two road losses, one of those coming in overtime to Michigan. On their home court, they should feel more comfortable shooting the ball. Illinois offense is averaging 76.9 points per game this year (4th best in the B1G) while also shooting 77.6% from the foul line, which leads the conference.
This team is led by Rayvonte Rice (who is out indefinitely due to a broken hand) , who leads the Illini both offensively and on the boards, averaging 17.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
The loss of Rice could be devastating for the Illini over the next 3-6 weeks while he’s out and especially against Maryland.
2. Maryland Can Play Defense
Who would have thought that Maryland would be one of the best defensive teams in the Big Ten? Mark Turgeon has his guys buying in to playing defense which is something that seemed to be lacking the past three seasons.
Maryland leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense (36.9%) and three-point field goal percentage defense (27.8%). In conference play, both games have seemed a bit ugly because the opposing teams haven’t been able to get shots to fall.
The Terps have held opponents to 40% shooting or below in six of the last seven games, including limiting Michigan State to a 32.3% and Minnesota to 33.8% from the field.
Turgeon’s team needs another big defensive game on the road against a team who will be playing their first Big Ten home game and will be looking for an upset.
3. Maryland Must Get to the Foul Line Early
In the first half against Minnesota, the Terps only took four foul shots. They have to find a way to get to the foul line early and often throughout the game. Illinois has the best free-throw shooting percentage in the Big Ten, so this game could come down to who makes their free throws.
Melo Trimble and Dez Wells must drive to the basket early and look to draw some fouls. Trimble is shooting 87.6% from the line for the season.