How to watch Maryland Terrapins vs. Illinois Fighting Illini: TV channel, NCAA Basketball live stream info, start time

How to watch Maryland vs. Illinois basketball game

By Scout Staff

Feb 17, 2024 at 9:01 am ET • 2 min read

Who's Playing

Illinois Fighting Illini @ Maryland Terrapins

Current Records: Illinois 18-6, Maryland 14-11

How To Watch

When: Saturday, February 17, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Center -- College Park, Maryland
TV: FOX
Follow: CBS Sports App
Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
Ticket Cost: $41.00

What to Know

Illinois is 2-8 against the Terrapins since January of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. Both teams will face off in a Big Ten battle at 5:30 p.m. ET at Xfinity Center. Despite being away, Illinois is looking at a 2.5-point advantage in the spread.

Illinois put the finishing touches on their ninth blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Wolverines 97-68 at home. Winning is a bit easier when you work as a team to post ten more assists than your opponent, as Illinois did.

Illinois can attribute much of their success to Terrence Shannon Jr., who scored 31 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Coleman Hawkins, who scored 17 points along with five assists and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, Maryland finally caught a break after three consecutive losses. They walked away with a 78-66 victory over the Hawkeyes on Wednesday.

Maryland's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Julian Reese, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 13 rebounds. Reese didn't help Maryland's cause all that much against the Buckeyes on Saturday but the same can't be said for this game. Another player making a difference was Jahmir Young, who scored 21 points.

The Fighting Illini's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-6. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 85.0 points per game. As for the Terrapins, their victory bumped their record up to 14-11.

This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Illinois have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 42.5 rebounds per game (they're ranked fourth in rebounds per game overall). However, it's not like Maryland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.9 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Illinois came up short against the Terrapins in their previous matchup back in January, falling 76-67. Can Illinois avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.