No. 11 Illinois Fighting Illini Hold Off Maryland Terrapins To Clinch Triple Bye In Big Ten Tournament

Illinois came to College Park, Maryland, to close out the regular season. Maryland had other ideas. The No. 11 Fighting Illini escaped XFINITY Center with a 78-72 win on Sunday afternoon, but don’t let the final score fool you, this game was anything but comfortable. It was messy, physical, and at times genuinely nerve-wracking for an Illinois team that should have put this one away much sooner.

But a win is a win. And for Illinois, this one came with a nice bonus: a triple bye heading into the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago.

Illinois Gets the Win, But Maryland Made Them Work For Every Inch

Maryland came into Sunday with an 11-19 record. Their season has been, to put it diplomatically, a rough one. It has been the program’s worst conference record in history. Head Coach Buzz Williams is still trying to figure out what he’s working with in his first year on the job. The crowd at XFINITY Center was sparse.

None of that mattered once the ball went up. Maryland played like a team with something to prove, and for stretches of Sunday’s game, they proved it. They poked, prodded, and clawed their way back into the game every time Illinois tried to pull ahead. Bodies were flying. Eyes were being poked. It was the kind of game where you half-expected a referee to blow the whistle just to restore some semblance of order.

Illinois’ biggest lead was eight points. Every time the Illini tried to get comfortable, Maryland answered. That’s the kind of game that turns Illini fans into nail-biters, and Sunday delivered plenty of that.

Andre Mills Put On a Show in His Final Regular-Season Game

While Illinois was busy trying not to lose a game they were supposed to win, Maryland’s Andre Mills was putting together one of the best freshman performances you’ll see all season. He had a game-high 30 points. He scored in double figures for the 11th time in his last 13 games. For a Maryland program that finished 11-20, Mills has been a genuine bright spot.

David Mirkovic Was Illinois’ Anchor When They Needed One

On the Illinois side, David Mirkovic was the guy Brad Underwood’s offense leaned on early, and he delivered. Mirkovic finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Finding Mirkovic in the paint worked. Illinois would be wise to remember that heading into tournament play.

Kylan Boswell added 11 points and 3 assists, though foul trouble kept him from being as impactful as the team would have liked. And then there’s Andrej Stojakovic, who chipped in 8 points, all of them in clutch moments. His final two free throws with 26.7 seconds left were the dagger. You couldn’t script it better if you tried.

What Illinois’ Regular Season Record Means Going Forward

With the win, Illinois finishes the regular season 24-7, going 15-5 in Big Ten play. That ties Underwood’s previous conference win record set back in 2021. It’s also the most regular-season wins for the program since 2006.

But the way Illinois finished the regular season, losing a couple of gut-punch games before gutting this one out, raises real questions. When Keaton Wagler isn’t at his best, Illinois tends to struggle. He wasn’t his usual freshman phenom self against Maryland, and it showed. The offense looked labored at times. The lead never felt safe.

For the Illini to make a real run in the postseason, they’ll need more consistency from their supporting cast. Stojakovic can’t be a ghost for 39 minutes and then a hero in the final 30 seconds every game. Boswell can’t afford foul trouble. And Illinois can’t keep letting teams like Maryland hang around until the final minutes.

Illinois Heads To Chicago With Momentum and Questions

Illinois will tip off against Oregon at 5 p.m. on March 10 in the first round of the 2026 TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament. The triple bye is a legitimate advantage. Illinois gets to watch others battle it out in the early rounds while they rest, prepare, and hopefully get Wagler firing on all cylinders again. There’s real talent on this roster. There’s also a real ceiling.

Sunday’s escape act in College Park was a good sign. The Illini showed they could gut out a tough road environment against a desperate team. That matters in March. Now they just have to do it a few more times.