Maryland men’s basketball faces No. 11 Illinois at Xfinity Center on Sunday, marking Senior Day and the end of the regular season. The Terps aim to avoid further ignominious history against a team that defeated them earlier this season. The game will be broadcast on Fox.
Terps Look to Avenge Previous Loss
Maryland’s prior game against the Fighting Illini resulted in an 89-70 loss for the Terps. Andrej Stojakovic scored a season-high 30 points for Illinois, going 4-for-7 from deep, while three other Illini players reached double figures. For Maryland, Andre Mills came off the bench to score 16 points in 16 minutes.
The rotation that coach Buzz Williams used in the previous match-up against Illinois looks different from the one he’s been using recently. In that game, the Terps’ starting lineup included Diggy Coit, Darius Adams and Isaiah Watts as guards, with Elijah Saunders and George Turkson Jr. in the frontcourt. Turkson played only four minutes, with Solomon Washington subbing in for 25 minutes, while Aleks Alston played 22 minutes.
Maryland’s Difficult Season
This season has been difficult for Maryland. It began with a narrow preseason exhibition win against UMBC, secured by a late 3-pointer. Following that, Georgetown, who are now last in the Big East standings, defeated the Terps in their home opener.
A 41-point performance by Diggy Coit was needed to avoid a loss to Mount St. Mary’s at home. The Terps then lost to No. 16 Alabama and No. 12 Gonzaga by a combined 71 points. Pharrel Payne suffered an injury in a win over Marquette, returned a week later, and then re-injured himself in mid-December, ending his season.
Nearly three months after Payne’s season-ending injury, the Terps have suffered 15 conference losses, the most in a single season in program history. After the loss to Illinois, Maryland faced No. 8 Michigan State, who won by 43 points. That was the Terps’ worst loss since 1944. Next, No. 15 Purdue handed Maryland a 30-point loss, their worst ever at Xfinity Center.
Stojakovic’s Impact
Although Illinois guard Andrej Stojakovic’s 3-point shooting percentage is only 23.9%, he had a strong performance against the Terps in their previous match-up. He was 4-for-7 from deep en route to a season high 30 points.
Maryland had one Big Ten win before the first Illinois game.