Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Maryland Terrapins Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 03/08/26

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Illinois
23-7
Illinois
Today
Maryland
11-19
Maryland

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Maryland Terrapins - NCAAB
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Illinois vs Maryland Pickswise Expert Predictions

Game Totals Pick
Under 146.5(-115)

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The Illinois Fighting Illini will travel to College Park on Sunday afternoon for a Big Ten Conference matchup against the Maryland Terrapins. It is the last day of the college basketball regular season and seeding for the high-major conference tournaments next weekend will officially be set. Maryland is slated to be the #16 or #17 seed in the league tournament, while Illinois will likely be the #4 seed with a win unless Iowa beats Nebraska to bring it up to the #3 seed. Maryland has endured a rough season under first-year head coach Buzz Williams, and a win here would bring great momentum needed into the postseason. Illinois is a large favorite in this one, but my best bet of the game is the under.

Both teams love to play at an extremely slow pace and I do not expect there to be enough possessions to carry the total over 146.5 points. The Illini boast one of the best offenses in the country, but they play so slowly that it doesn’t matter. Since February 1, both Illinois and Maryland are ranked in the 300s in adjusted tempo at Bart Torvik. Let’s roll with the under in this one.

Illinois vs Maryland prediction: Under 146.5 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable to 145.

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Lock Mamba

My name is Robby Nardini and I have been a diehard college basketball fan my whole life. I am a former University of Illinois basketball manager and have been writing about college hoops since I moved on from the program in 2020. My gambling picks here on Pickswise are heavily calculated by using my overall college basketball knowledge, specific trends and analytical sites such as KenPom, Bart Torvik, Evan Miya and more. I write here at Pickswise as well as Illinois basketball specific outlets such as Armchair Illini and The Champaign Room. You can find me on X @robbynardini and @lockmamba, where I write a wide range of college hoops focused pieces and do my own Bracketology.
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