Illinois vs Maryland Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for Dec. 2 (Don't Expect a Shootout at XFINITY Center)

Illinois vs Maryland Game Info

2022-23 NCAA College Basketball Regular Season Game
No. 16 Illinois Fighting Illini (6-1, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 22 Maryland Terrapins (7-0, 0-0)
Date: Friday, Dec. 2, 2022
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Venue: XFINITY Center — College Park, MD
Coverage: Big Ten Network

The 2022-23 NCAA college basketball season continues on Friday, Dec. 2 with a Big Ten battle between the No. 16 Illinois Fighting Illini and No. 22 Maryland Terrapins.

Illinois looked absolutely dominant in its 73-44 win over Syracuse on Tuesday, winning its second of back-to-back outings. Meanwhile, Maryland kept its perfect season alive that same night with a 79-54 victory against Louisville.

Can Illinois hand the Terrapins their first loss of the 2022-23 campaign? Or will Maryland keep the ball rolling with another impressive showing?

Illinois vs Maryland Odds & Spread

All NCAA college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets.
Moneyline: ILL: (-105) | MD: (-114)
Spread: ILL: +1.5 (-118) | MD: -1.5 (-104)
Total: 146.5 - Over: (-105) | Under: (-115)

Maryland enters this contest as the slight favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 9 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 146.5 points, which is average compared to Friday's projected totals.

Illinois vs Maryland Prediction & Pick

Time and time again, Maryland has gotten the better of Illinois. The Terrapins have won eight of their last 10 meetings with their Big Ten rival while also having not lost to the Fighting Illini at XFINITY Center since 2018.

Having said that, that trend should come to an end tonight. While both teams are fairly even statistically at first glance, I do give Illinois the edge due to its defense. The Fighting Illinois force the 13th-most turnovers per game (18.9) in the nation while creating steals on 11.5% of defensive plays (No. 31).

I also like the way that Illinois moves the ball on offense to create chances with its 17.1 assists per game (No. 20). Considering how Maryland actually allows slightly more assists at home (10.0) than it does overall (8.9), I do like the chances of the Fighting Illini being able to stick to their game plan.

Give me Illinois emerging as the victor, however, Maryland will still keep things interesting.

Final Score Prediction: Illinois: 73 | Maryland: 71

Illinois vs Maryland Betting Trends

- Illinois is 5-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last six games.
- Maryland is 5-0 straight up in its last five home games.
- The total has hit the under in eight of Illinois' last 12 games.
- The total has hit the over in four of Maryland's last five games against the Big Ten.

Illinois vs Maryland Best Bet

Even though two of the country's best offenses are present in this matchup, I don't expect a ton of fireworks. First of all, the total has gone under in eight of Illinois' previous 12 games. Secondly, Maryland has also experienced the under in three of its four home games so far.

Taking into account how four of the last five Illinois-Maryland matchups have finished with fewer than 144.5 points, I'm inclined to go with the under tonight.

Bet: Under 144.5 Points (-105)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.