Illinois vs Maryland Prediction 3/8/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Maryland Terrapins meet Sunday in college basketball action from Xfinity Center College Park. Here’s an Illinois vs Maryland prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Illinois vs Maryland pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Preview

Illinois managed to post a pretty nice 8-3 run to start the year. The Illini then posted a winning stretch over Missouri, Southern, Penn State, Rutgers, Iowa, Northwestern, Minnesota, Maryland, Purdue, Washington, Nebraska and Northwestern. Next came losses to Michigan State and Wisconsin, then wins over Indiana and USC before losses to UCLA and Michigan. After a win over Oregon the Illini are 23-7 overall.

On Tuesday versus Oregon, Illinois jumped out to a comfortable lead at halftime 41-21. After coming back out onto the floor for the second half the Illini kept it going on a 39-33 run and powered out the victory in the end 80-54. Leading the team in scoring was Andrej Stojakovic with 21 points and 12 rebounds. David Mirkovic had 19 points with seven boards in the victory.

Maryland Terrapins Betting Preview

Over on the Maryland side, they posted an 8-10 run over their first 18 games then hit a four-game losing streak in January/February. The Terrapins would then add consecutive wins over Minnesota and Iowa before consecutive losses to Rutgers and Northwestern. After a win over Washington came more losses to Nebraska, Rutgers and Wisconsin for an 11-19 record this year.

Matched up against Wisconsin, the Terrapins faced a double-digit deficit by the end of the first half 34-21. Maryland didn’t get any closer than that—in fact they got worse on a 44-24 second-half run in a 78-45 defeat on the road. Andre Mills led the team with 14 points and three boards. Elijah Saunders added 11 points with six rebounds and one assist in the defeat.

Illinois Fighting Illini @ Maryland Terrapins Betting Trends: March 8, 2026

Why the Maryland Terrapins will win

• Maryland has won 10 of its last 12 games at XFINITY Center when playing with a rest disadvantage.

Why the Illinois Fighting Illini will win

• Illinois has won each of its last nine Sunday games as an AP-ranked team against a non-AP-ranked team.
• Maryland has lost each of its last six day games against AP-ranked opponents.
• Maryland has lost the first half in each of its last five games against AP-ranked opponents.

Illinois vs Maryland Prediction

I’m just going to stick with Illinois. The Illini really need a good performance here as well. In the Tuesday win over Oregon, Illinois shot just 40.8 percent from the field but added 12-of-14 (85.7 percent) at the line alongside a 45-31 rebounding advantage. The four turnovers and 32.8 percent shooting allowed on defense were nice as well. The Illini are a shaky 3-4 over the last seven games, but to be fair they’ve played some pretty tough squads in that time.

Back on January 21 when these teams last met, the Illini powered out an 89-70 victory on their home court. In that one Illinois shot 43.5 percent from the field with a 45-30 rebounding advantage and just six turnovers. I’d like to see the Illini’s shooting get up to (or beyond) the 45-percent mark in this road rematch.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Illinois Fighting Illini -14.5