The No. 16 Illinois Fighting Illini will go on the road to face the No. 22 Maryland Terrapins in a Big Ten battle on Friday night. Illinois has won six of its first seven games, including a 73-44 win over Syracuse on Tuesday. Maryland kept its unbeaten season alive with a 79-54 win over Louisville its last time out.
Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET. The Terrapins are favored by 1.5 points in the latest Maryland vs. Illinois odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 145. Before entering any Illinois vs. Maryland picks, you’ll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past six-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated more than $1,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Maryland vs. Illinois. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Maryland vs. Illinois:
- Maryland vs. Illinois spread: Maryland -1.5
- Maryland vs. Illinois over/under: 145 points
- Maryland vs. Illinois money line: Maryland -125, Illinois +105
- Maryland vs. Illinois picks: See picks here
Featured Game | Maryland Terrapins vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
Why Maryland can cover
Maryland continues to play outstanding basketball this season, winning all seven of its games by double digits. The Terrapins have blown out Saint Louis, Miami (FL) and Louisville, with all three of those victories coming by 18-plus points. They have covered the spread in six of their seven wins, so the betting market has not adjusted to their hot start to the season.
First-year head coach Kevin Willard has done an excellent job of blending three returning starters with a pair of transfers in the backcourt. Veteran forward Donta Scott leads the way with 15.9 points per game, while Julian Reese is averaging 13.7 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds. Maryland has won seven of its last eight home games against Illinois and does not need to win with much margin in order to cover this spread.
Why Illinois can cover
Illinois should be more battle-tested than Maryland coming into this game, as the Fighting Illini have already faced a pair of top-20 teams. They took down then-No. 8 UCLA as 3.5-point underdogs before suffering their lone loss of the campaign in a 70-61 final against Virginia. The Illini have bounced back from that loss with a pair of blowout wins, including a 73-44 win as 12.5-favorites against Syracuse.
Coleman Hawkins had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his first career triple-double in the win over the Orange. Texas Tech transfer Terrence Shannon Jr. leads Illinois with 19.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, while Dain Dainja and Jayden Epps are both scoring in double figures. Illinois has gone 15-5 in its last 20 road games and has covered the spread in five of its last six games this season.
How to make Illinois vs. Maryland picks
The model has simulated Maryland vs. Illinois 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Illinois vs. Maryland? And which side of the spread hits over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine to see which side of the Maryland vs. Illinois spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $1,500 on its college basketball picks the last six years, and find out.
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