Illinois vs. Maryland odds, prediction, line: 2026 college basketball picks for March 8 from proven model

The Big Ten Tournament begins on Tuesday and both the Illinois Fighting Illini and Maryland Terrapins will wrap up their regular season on Sunday afternoon. The Fighting Illini are No. 11 in the AP Top 25 and are 23-7 overall with a 14-5 mark in conference play while the Terps are 11-19 on the season and are 4-15 in the league. However, Maryland has won and covered the spread in seven of its last 10 head-to-head matchups with Illinois.

Tipoff from the Xfinity Center is set for 3 p.m. ET. The Fighting Illini are 14.5-point favorites on the road in the latest Maryland vs. Illinois odds, while the over/under is 144.5. Before making any Illinois vs. Maryland picks, check out the men's college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

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The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered Week 18 on a sizzling 11-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to last season, and is on a 23-17 run on top-rated CBB side picks. Anyone following its college basketball betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns.    

Now, the model has simulated Maryland vs. Illinois 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted men's college basketball picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several men's college basketball odds and men's college basketball betting lines for Illinois vs. Maryland:

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Top Illinois vs. Maryland predictions

SportsLine's model is going Over on the total (144.5 points). The Fighting Illini have been one of the most efficient offensive teams in the country this season, as Brad Underwood's squad leads the nation in offensive rating (125.7). Freshman guard Keaton Wagler leads Illinois in scoring, as he's averaging 18.1 points per game in his first season of collegiate basketball and is one of five Illini averaging double-figures per game this season.

Meanwhile, Maryland ranks 268th out of 365 Division I men's basketball programs in points allowed per game (77.1) and is 336th in defensive rating (114.6). The Terps are 16 wins worse under Buzz Williams than they were in Kevin Willard's final season, when they went to the Sweet 16. The model predicts that Illinois does most of the heavy lifting today, with the two teams combining to score 150 points and the over hitting in 65% of simulations.

How to make Maryland vs. Illinois picks

The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Illinois vs. Maryland, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to back, all from the advanced model that has simulated this game 10,000 times, and find out.