Fighting Illini vs. Terrapins Picks 1/21/22

When: Friday, January 21, 7 p.m.

Where: Xfinity Center, College Park, Md.

TV: BTN

Point Spread: ILL -7.5/MD +7.5 (MyBookie – Use bonus code PREDICT100 and they’ll give you a 100% real cash bonus up to $300!)

Moneyline: ILL -320/MD +250

Total: 141

Last Time Out:

Illinois lost 96-88 to Purdue in double overtime; Maryland lost 83-64 to Michigan.

About the Matchup:

The on the job audition for Danny Manning could hardly be going worse, as the Terrapins appear well on their way to becoming irrelevant in the Big Ten before January is even over. Manning is just 4-6 since taking over for Mark Turgeon as the interim coach, and with the Terrapins now having lost six games in the Big Ten and barely being competitive, the alarm bells have to be going off in College Park.

Of course, that makes Illinois the absolute last team that Maryland needs to see right now. Not only are the Illini looking like a serious contender in the Big Ten, but they’re coming in off a loss to Purdue in a classic game in double overtime. That’s likely got the Illini in a less-than-pleasant mood, and when a talented team comes in angry after a close loss, the next team on the schedule is usually in for a rough encounter when that team returns to the court. Given what Maryland is showing as of late, this looks like a case of things getting worse before they get better.

Scouting the Fighting Illini:

The biggest reason why Maryland lost the game in Champaign was Kofi Cockburn and the Terrapins’ complete inability to stop him. If Cockburn does anything close to what he did in the first game, it’s hard to see any way for the Terrapins to avoid a blowout. Last time, Cockburn scored 23 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, with the latter leaving him just eight short of Maryland’s entire rebounding total for the game.

What really has to scare the Terrapins is that Illinois is a good 3-point shooting team that didn’t even shoot well in the first meeting and still won by 12. The Illini hit around 38 percent from deep, with Trent Frazier doing most of the damage from the arc. What the Illini don’t really do well is take care of the ball, but that’s not something Maryland took advantage of last time. The Fighting Illini had just seven turnovers, a number they can live with.

Scouting the Terrapins:

The big question for Maryland is whether the Terrapins are still interested in competing or if they’re just going to lay down for the rest of the season. Maryland was clearly not Maryland at the beginning of the season when it struggled to put away middling Atlantic 10 squads, and the Terrapins have only gotten worse from there.

What makes Maryland tough to bet against is that the Terrapins do sometimes show their potential and play like a cohesive unit. But for the most part, this team doesn’t shoot well and doesn’t play defense well enough to compete in the Big Ten. With the attitude they’ve displayed, this team looks like it’s just about given up on the season.

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Illinois will Cover If: The Illini are able to bludgeon Maryland inside. The Terrapins don’t really have anyone who can answer Cockburn in the interior, nor do they have anyone who can keep him off the glass. As long as the Illini don’t have too many long rebounds that he can’t track, this should work well for the Illini.

Maryland will Cover If: The Terrapins can get Cockburn in foul trouble or force turnovers before the ball gets to him. Maryland cannot hope to stop Cockburn once the ball gets to him, but the Terps can stick close if they get good guard play. As long as Maryland is able to force Illinois to turn the ball over, it has a chance.

Dan’s Best Prop Bets

The Terrapins have failed to score 67 points in three of their past five contests, including the loss to Illinois, where they managed just 64 points. Short of Illinois simply not getting the job done on defense, Maryland should be held under that total in this one.

Dan’s Pick to Cover the Spread

I really don’t like this situation for the Terrapins. They’re playing at home, but they’re playing a team that has a weapon that they have already shown they have no answer for. Plus, Maryland has already seen things get out of control in losses to Michigan and Rutgers over the past week, and Illinois should be plenty motivated here. Give me the Illini. Bet your college basketball picks for FREE this weekend by taking advantage of a 100% real cash bonus on your first deposit of $100 to $1000 at Betnow Sportsbook!