This is an 8* play on Illinois

This is a neutral site game with the teams playing at Madison Square Garden. Maryland, who has been a surprise this year, is off a bad performance against Michigan State. A team that averages 75.6 points per game scored only 55 against the Spartans, on 34.4% shooting. Now it would be easy to chalk that up to playing a very good opponent. It was not just the fewest points scored by Maryland in any game, it was also their second worst shooting percentage. Certainly, Sparty had a lot to do with it. But I wouldn't go counting on an immediate bounce back from the Terrapins. Rather, this sets up as a fairly tricky spot against an Illinois team that has been more "unlucky" than bad. The Illini competed hard earlier this week at Wisconsin, only to come up a bit short. Despite shooting only 35 percent, they were still tied with the Badgers midway through the second half. I think this neutral setting is a blessing for the underdog, who would have probably struggled in College Park. It is absolutely worth pointing out that Maryland is just 1-5-1 ATS its last seven games against teams with losing records. This number is too high. Play on ILLINOIS

AAA