Maryland Terrapins vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 1/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Maryland Terrapins vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: BTN

State Farm Center is where the Illinois Fighting Illini (15-3) will attempt to defeat the Maryland Terrapins (7-10) on Wednesday.

The Maryland Terrapins stepped onto the hardwood against Penn State and went home with a win by a final score of 96-73 in their last game. Maryland ended the game with a 54.1% field goal percentage (33 of 61) and made 18 of 34 shots from distance. At the free throw line, the Terrapins converted 12 of their 17 attempts for a rate of 70.6%. Pertaining to rebounding, they earned a total of 34 with 11 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 12 assists in this game in addition to forcing 7 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When it comes to the defense, Maryland allowed 50.0% from the floor on 25 of 50 shooting. Penn State doled out 12 assists and had 5 steals for this game. Additionally, Penn State snagged 18 rebounds (2 offensive, 16 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Penn State finished shooting 66.7% from the free throw line by burying 14 of their 21 attempts. They also converted 9 out of their 24 tries from 3-point range. When discussing personal fouls, the Terrapins walked away with 17 and Penn State totaled 15 personal fouls.

David Coit is a guy who was a major contributor in this matchup. He finished the game at 60.9% from the floor and also distributed 4 assists. He was on the court for 39 mins played and grabbed 1 board. He finished with 43 points on 14 out of 23 shooting.

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Maryland will play this contest with a mark of 7-10 so far this season. They turn it over 13.2 times per game and as a team are committing 18.2 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Maryland is pulling down 36.5 rebounds per game and has tallied 179 dimes so far this season, which has them ranked 359th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Terrapins are connecting on 31.2% on shots beyond the perimeter (139 of 445) and 74.6% from the free throw line. They are averaging 73.2 points per outing (264th in Division 1) while connecting on 39.8% from the field.

On defense, the Terrapins are forcing 12.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 20.4 fouls. They are ranked 306th in the country in allowing assists to their opponents with 285 surrendered on the year. The Terrapins defensively are allowing a FG percentage of 46.3% (469 of 1,012) and they relinquish 36.1 rebounds per game as a group. They concede 36.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 297th in college in opponents points per game (78.1).

When they last stepped on the court, the Illinois Fighting Illini took home the win by a final score of 77-67 against Minnesota. The Fighting Illini pulled down 23 defensive rebounds and 15 offensive boards totaling 38 for this game. They also coughed up the ball 10 times, while getting 5 steals for this contest. Minnesota was called for 16 personal fouls in this game which took the Fighting Illini to the charity stripe for a total of 19 tries. They were able to make 16 of the free throws for a rate of 84.2%. Regarding 3-point shots, Illinois made 13 out of their 35 attempts (37.1%). At the conclusion of this game, the Fighting Illini went 24 for 59 from the floor which had them at 40.7%. The Fighting Illini allowed Minnesota to make 26 out of their 65 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 40.0% in this matchup. They went 34.3% from 3-point land by shooting 12 out of 35 and walked away from this one shooting 3 out of 3 from the free throw line (100.0%). In the matter of cleaning up the glass, Illinois allowed Minnesota to get 29 overall (11 on the offensive glass).

Zvonimir Ivisic ended up having an impact for the Fighting Illini for this contest. He tallied 18 points in his 18 minutes of playing time, but wasn't able to notch an assist. He converted 5 of 8 for the contest giving him a rate of 62.5%, and had 9 rebounds.

Illinois has a record of 15-3 on the campaign. As an offense, the Fighting Illini are shooting 47.3% from the field, which is 83rd in D-1. Illinois has accounted for 1,532 pts for the campaign (85.1 per contest) and they grab 41.8 boards per game. They are earning an assist 14.7 times per contest (156th in the country) and they are turning it over 9.8 times per game. The Fighting Illini have committed 12.9 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 80.4% from the charity stripe.

The Illinois defense concedes 31.4% on 3-point shots (147 of 468) and opponents are knocking down 70.5% of their foul shots. They relinquish 12.5 assists and 31.0 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 109th and 32nd in D-1. The Fighting Illini on defense are ranked 44th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 67.4. They have forced 8.3 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 39.5% from the field (24th in college).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Maryland

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