Maryland pounces on Illinois, steamrolls its way to Big Ten Tournament semis, 88-65
Kevin Willard was worried about his team's tendency to start games slow after extended breaks. Those concerns were quickly quelled after a few minutes of action on Friday.
Kevin Willard was worried about his team's tendency to start games slow after extended breaks. Those concerns were quickly quelled after a few minutes of action on Friday.
The Terps played their best half of the season, leading Illinois by 26 points at halftime in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals. It was the second-largest halftime lead the Terps have had and the most they've scored against a Big Ten opponent this season as they cruised to an 88-65 victory on Friday night in Indianapolis.
Maryland held a 30-point lead with 12:06 remaining en route to a 88-65 victory. It will play in its first Big Ten tournament semifinals since 2016 on Saturday.
"Anytime you're up 26 at halftime, you're doing something right," Willard said. "I just told them not to mess it up [at halftime].•
Friday's game looked nearly identical to the two teams' contest in January. Maryland crushed Illinois inside, won the turnover battle and neutralized Fighting Illini forward Tomislav Ivisic. Derik Queen scored an efficient 19 points.
But the Terps had an additional weapon in the quarterfinals. They shot 47.8% from three-point range, making 11 triples.
It was an encouraging sign for an offense that has struggled recently, scoring its highest total since Feb. 16. Maryland hadn't made 40% of its three-pointers since the USC game on Feb. 20.
Rodney Rice started the game with 18 points before the eight-minute mark in the first half, going 5-6 from three-point range. Ja'Kobi Gillespie and he scored a combined 23 points in the first matchup against Illinois. The backcourt surpassed that total in the first half on Friday.
The Virginia Tech transfer was not named to the Big Ten's honorable mention team this week, but Rice played like a first-teamer in the quarterfinals.
He finished the game with a team-high 26 points and made seven 3-pointers. Rice's shooting forced Illinois head coach Brad Underwood to call multiple first-half timeouts, incensed at his team.
"[Maryland's] good enough to win it," Underwood said.
Rice has been mentioned as Maryland's "X-factor" multiple times this season. At this point, he's become the Terps' third-best scorer and a strong secondary ball handler.
His ability to play a heavy load of minutes is underrated. Rice is constantly dashing around off-ball screens, shooting movement-triples and guarding the opponent's best perimeter threat.
That was most evident when, midway through the second half, he fell over in the middle of a play (potential ploy), only to rise back up and hit a 3-pointer. He was fouled in the process and converted the free throw.
"I'm just going to continue to let my game do the talking," Rice said.
Maryland's first-half domination allowed Willard to play his bench more than usual. Jordan Geronimo and Tafara Gapare both played in the first half, along with DeShawn Harris-Smith and Jay Young.
Geronimo rewarded his coach with nine points, including a three-pointer. The 15 bench points were the most Maryland's second unit has scored since Jan. 2. Malachi Palmer even played in the second half.
"It's big no matter what, especially for the NCAA tournament," Willard said. "I have a lot of faith in my bench, the problem is I have five [starters] who need shots."
A 31-point lead isn't supposed to happen in a conference tournament, especially not against KenPom's No. 18 team. Willard even rolled out an all-bench unit with over six minutes remaining.
The Terps likely won't replicate this type of performance for the rest of postseason play. It would be nearly impossible. But if they can come even close to Friday's showing, they could be in for a special March.
