PREVIEW
OPENING TIP: Illinois (3-12, 1-11 B1G) travels to College Park, Md., to face conference-leading and No. 9/10-ranked Maryland (14-2, 10-1 B1G) on Wednesday at UM's Xfinity Center. Tipoff between the Illini and the Terrapins is set for 12 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network with Chris Vosters (play-by-play) and Meghan McKeown (analyst). Mike Koon will call the action for the Illini on WDWS 1400 AM. Streaming audio and live stats are also available at FightingIllini.com.
ABOUT MARYLAND: No. 9/10-ranked Maryland enters Wednesday's game with a 14-2 record, including a 10-1 mark in conference play, to sit atop in the Big Ten Standings. The Terrapins, following an 88-86 road loss at then-No. 17 Ohio State (Jan. 25), have won three straight vs. Michigan State (92-52), vs. Wisconsin (84-48), and at Nebraska (95-73). The UM's roster boasts six players averaging double-figures scoring, led by preseason all-conference selection sophomore G Ashley Owusu (19.3 ppg), sophomore G Diamond Miller (17.5), senior G Katie Benzan (14.6), and senior F/G Chloe Bibby (14.3), who have each started all 16 games for the Terps. Sophomore F Mimi Collins averages 10.1 points per game while pulling down a team-high 7.0 rebounds per contest. As a team, the Terrapins lead the nation in scoring at 91.7 points per game, while giving up an average of 73.2 points per contest, 10th in the Big Ten. Through games played Feb. 14, Maryland also ranks among the top-10 in the NCAA in several categories including No. 4 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.50), No. 4 in three-point percentage (.405), No. 7 in assists per game (19.3), No. 8 in free-throw percentage (.794), and No. 9 in field-goal percentage (.482).
SERIES VS. MARYLAND: Wednesday's matchup is the 12th in the series between the Illini and the Terrapins. Maryland leads the all-time series, 11-0, including an 8-0 mark since joining the Big Ten prior to the 2014-15 season. All 11 matchups have featured top-25-ranked Terps teams. The Illini are 0-5 in games played in College Park, but battled the then-No. 8-ranked Terps to a 71-62 decision in their last visit to the Xfinity Center, March 2, 2019.
LAST TIME VS. MARYLAND: The Illini battled No. 20/17 Maryland, behind a 20-point effort from senior Ali Andrews, before falling 79-60 on Jan. 23, 2020 at State Farm Center. Jeanae Terry played 33 minutes off the bench, team-high totals with eight rebounds and six assists, to go along with five points. Jada Peebles added three points, three rebounds and a pair of steals, and Nancy Panagiotopoulou made her Illini debut with four points and four rebounds in 11 minutes of action.
UP NEXT: The Fighting Illini play the second of back-to-back road games on Saturday, visiting Rutgers. Tipoff between the Illini and the Scarlet Knights (8-3, 4-3 B1G) - who host Minnesota on Wednesday - is set for 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT at Rutgers Athletic Center. The game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network. Mike Koon will call the action for the Illini on WDWS 1400 AM. Streaming audio and live stats are also available at FightingIllini.com.
FULL GAME NOTES (PDF)
