Maryland vs Illinois 12/2/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Illinois Fighting Illini (6-1) vs. Maryland Terrapins (7-0)
December 2, 2022 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: Maryland Terrapins -2 / Illinois Fighting Illini +2 ; Over/Under: -
(Get latest betting odds)
The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Maryland Terrapins meet Friday in college basketball action from Xfinity Center College Park. Illinois is sitting on a 6-1 record so far. The Illini beat Syracuse in their last game on Tuesday. As for Maryland, they’re rolling along at 7-0 and fresh off a win versus Louisville. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Illinois won their first four games this year over Eastern Illinois, UMKC, Monmouth and UCLA. The Illini took their first loss of the year versus Virginia, then bounced back with a game six victory over Lindenwood.
Illinois notched another win Tuesday versus Syracuse. The Illini were up 30-23 going into the second half and scored another 43 points from there in a 73-44 win. Coleman Hawkins led the team on a triple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Over on the Maryland side, it’s been smooth sailing so far. The Terrapins have taken out Niagara, Western Carolina, Binghamton, St. Louis, Miami-FL, Coppin State and Louisville through their first seven outings.
In the Louisville game on Tuesday, Maryland jumped out to a 37-26 lead by the break and hit a 42-28 run in the second half for a 79-54 blowout win. Tops in scoring for the Terrapins was Donta Scott with 18 points and five rebounds.
PICK: I’m probably going to stay with Illinois. The Illini didn’t shoot all that well versus Syracuse in their last game (35.8 percent) but made up for it with 46 rebounds (17 offensive) and 21 assists in the blowout win. Illinois has scored 73 or more points in each of their wins this season, so they’ll likely want to push the tempo immediately here.
As for Maryland, this will be their toughest test of the year so far. The Terrapins haven’t faced any ranked teams yet, however this will be the first of three over their next four outings. If Illinois is on point and shooting well I don’t think Maryland can keep up on a cover/win pace. That said, it should be a very entertaining matchup.
