It’s been 12 days since No. 17 Illinois (13-5, 5-3) played in front of a home crowd, and Thursday presents an opportunity for a much-needed rebound. While it did mix in an impressive 25-point drubbing in Bloomington, Indiana, last week, Illinois has dropped two of its last three games, including an ugly defeat at State Farm Center on Jan. 11 to USC (12-7, 4-4).
The Illini are favored in their next nine matchups, according to ESPN’s matchup predictor, and it starts with a team that has given them trouble over the years.
Know the Terps
Maryland (14-5, 4-4) comes to town on Thursday to start the short homestand in Champaign. The visitors have dominated Illinois since joining the Big Ten and have won 10 of the last 13 meetings. Illinois head coach Brad Underwood finally managed to get a victory in College Park last year for the program’s first win at Maryland since 2011.
The Terrapins have talent this year but are winless on the road. Head coach Kevin Willard’s squad brings an 0-4 away record to the table, although they only lost by a combined 17 points. The games have been tight, but Maryland has failed to come out on top in each matchup.
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Freshman center Derik Queen leads Maryland in scoring. Despite Illinois’ talented freshman class that boasts five stars and projected lottery picks, Queen will be the highest-rated player from the 2024 class in this contest. The 6-foot-10 center averages 15.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
Queen is paired with senior forward Julian Reese. The veteran big man records 8.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, making them a duo to look out for down low. Illinois hasn’t defended the paint very well lately, so Queen and Reese have the potential to do some damage.
Junior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie rounds out the true Maryland threats from the guard position. The 6-foot-1 transfer from Belmont has carved a nice role in his first year with Maryland and is the top ball handler on the roster. He has 42 more assists than anyone else on Maryland and will likely be defended by junior guard Kylan Boswell in this one.
Illini notes
Boswell began the season looking like one of the best perimeter defenders in the country. As the Champaign native has been forced to deal with an increased offensive workload due to the multiple absences of star freshman guard Kasparas Jakučionis, his defensive success has decreased. A small matchup with Gillespie could get Boswell back on track, especially if Jakučionis plays regular minutes for just the second time since Jan. 5.
Getting their star back on track is also important for the Illini. The “what if” game is meaningless in Big Ten hoops, but it’s hard to see Illinois dropping games to USC and No. 8 Michigan State (16-2, 7-0) if Jakčionis was playing as usual.
Fortunately for Illinois, Jakučionis appears to be fully healthy. Underwood also informed reporters on Wednesday of recent talks with the Big Ten about its officiating of Jakučionis in Illinois’ last matchup. He believes Jakučionis is a star in the conference, and when officials make mistakes concerning Illinois’ point guard, it’s costly.
A final Illini who could be in for a big day is freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. While Queen and Reese are talented opponents, they are known to get lazy at times, especially on the defensive end. Johnson is already one of the league’s best big men at running the floor.
The workhouse off the bench could take advantage of some mental mistakes on Maryland’s part on Thursday. Tip is at 8 p.m. on FS1.
@benfader7
