Illinois Looks to Cap Strong Season at Struggling Maryland

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (Interstat) — The Illinois Fighting Illini, riding high after a dominant win, visit the reeling Maryland Terrapins on Sunday in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Illinois (23-7) enters having won three of its last four, including an 80-54 rout of Oregon on Tuesday. The Illini’s potent offense, which has scored 80 or more points in four of its last six games, will be heavily favored against a Maryland defense allowing 73.4 points per game.

Maryland (10-19) has lost four straight and 10 of its last 12. The Terrapins are coming off a 78-45 defeat at Wisconsin where they shot just 28.8% from the field. Their season has been defined by offensive struggles, aside from occasional explosive performances from guard Andre Mills.

Mills is the clear focal point for Maryland, averaging 22.0 points over his last five games. He erupted for 39 points in a narrow loss to Northwestern on Feb. 18. Containing him will be a key for Illinois.

The Illini counter with their own standout, forward Andrej Stojakovic. The sophomore is coming off a 21-point performance against Oregon and has scored 20 or more in two of his last four outings, providing efficient scoring punch.

When the teams met in Champaign on Jan. 21, Illinois cruised to an 89-70 victory. Maryland has not won since Feb. 11 and will need a monumental upset to avoid a 20-loss season.

For Illinois, the game is a final tune-up before the postseason, with seeding for the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments on the line. Maryland will play for pride and seek to build momentum for the conference tournament.

Tip-off at the Xfinity Center is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. EDT.