Maryland is a relatively young team, except for Trimble. As mentioned, if Illinois allows Trimble to get into the lane with ease, then we will be in a lot of trouble. Cowan is one of the better freshman in the big 10 as well, from what I've seen early on, so we cant afford to give him too many open looks. I was looking at the box from their Charlotte game, and they went like 8-10 deep. Also, I'm not sure if one of their bigs, Damonte Dodd will be playing. Hes missed some games with an MCL. I think our bigs will match up well with Cekovsky, but I am worried about our guards trying to keep up with Trimble and Cowan. Justin Jackson and Gill, who I'm guessing will be matched up with Leron, leads them in rebounding, so that could lead to some foul trouble if the refs call it close. I think Hill has a big game. He will likely be matched up with one of their freshman guards, Huerter. Nickens and Brantley can do some damage of the bench, so we cant let up on them. I think this is a true toss up. I think our zone could work in this game, because I dont think we can guard Trimble one on one. All in all, I think this is a true tossup. The though of this being our first road game would generally scare me, but with our experience, its not a factor. I think we make enough plays with our experience towards the end to take it.
Illinois-74
Maryland-72