Illinois vs. Maryland Prediction, Betting Pick, Latest Odds for Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal

The Maryland Terrapins (24-7) and the Illinois Fighting illini (21-11) meet tonight in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals in Indianapolis. Maryland made a big time statement in Champaign back on January 23rd, winning 91-70. A few key notes from that matchup:

• Big man Tomislav Ivisic was out with an injury
• Maryland’s big man duo of Julian Reese and Derik Queen combined for 52 points
• Illini freshman stud Will Riley played just 17 scoreless minutes off the bench
• Maryland won the turnover battle 16–7
• Illinois bench scored 21 to Maryland’s 2

Get your first month of oddschecker+ right now for just $9.99. Don't miss out on this March Madness deal!

Illinois vs. Maryland Odds

Illinois vs. Maryland Date, Time, and Where To Watch

• Date: March 13, 2025
• Time: 6:30 pm ET
• Where To Watch: BTN

Click here for latest Illinois vs. Maryland Odds

Illinois vs. Maryland Prediction

After three straight losses by an average margin of defeat of 26 (albeit against three top 11 teams on KenPom), Illinois has looked fantastic on this current four game winning streak. Their offense has been absolutely humming, and they’ve shot better than 37% from three-point land in three straight games.

Sure, Illinois is tough to guard, especially lately with Will Riley and Tre White elevating and less reliance on Kasparas Jakucionis. But Maryland has been the NUMBER ONE defense in the country since the beginning of February, per Bart Torvik.

Maryland’s strong and athletic guards, plus having bigs who can really move their feet, leads to a defense with not a single weakness. They are more than capable of making life difficult for Jakucionis/Boswell/Riley on the perimeter and slowing down this Illinois offensive attack that has looked unstoppable in the past few games. 

The Crab Five hasn’t been as good offensively (68th in efficiency during that stretch), but this is still an offense I believe in. Having Ivisic in there will help Illinois stop Reese/Queen from going completely nuclear, but it’s still a matchup that I think those bigs will find success in scoring on the interior.

Sure, it would be nice to get some bench production, but Maryland’s starting five is so good that they can get away with not having a ton. Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Selton Miguel, and Rodney Rice are all knockdown shooters who can create off the bounce and punish Illinois in transition. Maryland’s chemistry is fantastic, and they do a great job taking turns and letting each other cook based on who’s hot and who has the best matchup. These guys will all be able to get to their spots today and get open looks against this Illinois defense. We're going to trust them to hit shots.

Maryland’s ability to push pace and score quickly against Illinois, combined with the fact that their defense can make things tougher for Brad Underwood’s guys than 99% of teams in the sport, has me confident in the Terps to get this done.

Illinois vs. Maryland Pick

• Pick: Maryland -1 (-110) Get oddschecker+ right now for just $9.99 per month. Don't miss out on this first month deal!