Wednesday is the first time in 2026 that Maryland men’s basketball will enter a game off a win. That’s a good feeling, but the opponent at hand may dampen the mood a bit.
No. 11 Illinois hosts the Terps as winners of seven straight games. The Fighting Illini are one of the most well-rounded squads in the country — something that cannot be said about the Terps, especially with Pharrel Payne’s continued absence.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET from State Farm Center. The game will air on Big Ten Network.
No. 11 Illinois Fighting Illini (15-3, 6-1 Big Ten)
2024-25 record: 22-13, 12-8 Big Ten
It’s rare to see a college team lose its two top scorers, not make any seismic transfer portal moves and not land a five-star recruit — but still become a far better team the following season. That’s exactly what head coach Brad Underwood has pulled off with his 2025-26 squad.
Kasparas Jakučionis and Will Riley became the 20th and 21st picks, respectively, in the 2025 NBA Draft. Andrej Stojakovic was a solid-but-not-transformative portal addition, and Illinois’ recruiting class was 34th in the country in the 247Sports composite. Nonetheless, the Fighting Illini have gone from a No. 6-seed in the 2025 tournament to a team that looks poised for a much better ranking.
They haven’t lost to an unranked opponent this season and are 9-1 at home. Maryland’s win over Penn State was impressive, but the Fighting Illini and Nittany Lions’ only similarity is their conference. The Terps are in for a doozy Wednesday night.
Players to know
Keaton Wagler, freshman guard, 6-foot-6, No. 23 — Wagler is the biggest reason for Illinois’ improvement this year. The Kansas native came to Champaign as a four-star recruit, and has since turned into one of the best freshmen in the country. Wagler is lethal from beyond the arc — 42.1% of his 3-pointers go in — and that’s led him to a team-leading 16.1 points per game.
But don’t take Wagler as a pure scoring threat — far from it. He’s more than willing to feed his teammates when the defensive attention shifts to him, leading Illinois with 3.8 assists per game. Add on 5.1 rebounds per game, and it’s clear why Wagler might not have much more time left in college.
David Mirkovic, freshman forward, 6-foot-9, No. 0 — The 20-year-old from Montenegro is nearly as impressive as his other freshman counterpart. 12 points per game is nothing to scoff at, but Mirkovic is an absolute workhorse on the boards. On a team with multiple seven-footers, Mirkovic comfortably leads Illinois in rebounds per game (8.3), and 2.6 of those come on offense.
The issue with Mirkovic’s aggression is a tendency to turn the ball over — he’s Illinois’ only player averaging at least two a game.
Kylan Boswell, senior guard, 6-foot-4, No. 4 — Boswell is one of two Illini to be a regular starter each of the past two seasons, alongside Tomislav Ivisic. But while Ivisic has had a statistical dip, Boswell hasn’t. He’s second on the team in points (14.3) and assists (3.4) per game.
Strength
Free-throw shooting and foul discipline. Illinois does a lot of things well, but it does these two better than just about anyone in the country.
The Illini only shoot 20.7 free throws a game, but they make 80.4% of them — second-best in Division I basketball. And only 12.9 fouls per game is the third-fewest in Division I.
Weakness
Defensive disruption. The flip side of Illinois’ defensive discipline is a lack of chances created for its offense. It steals the ball from opponents just four times per game — that’s dead-last among 364 Division I programs. That being said, it does make the Illini’s 85.1 points per game even more impressive.
Three things to know
1. Andrej Stojakovic’s status. The son of longtime NBA sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic was Underwood’s top portal addition. While Andrej isn’t the same player as his father — he shoots 23.4% from deep — he’s a key part of Illinois’ success.
But nagging lower body injuries have kept the younger Stojakovic at bay at times this season. He limped off the court late in the game Saturday against Minnesota, and Underwood said he didn’t know whether Stojakovic would be healthy for the Maryland game.
2. How does Maryland handle Illinois’ size? Zvonimir Ivisic joined his brother Tomislav in Champaign via the portal this past offseason. The pair of seven-footers means a giant sits in the paint virtually all of the time for Illinois, alongside the 6-foot-9 Mirkovic. Wagler is a towering presence at guard as well.
Especially without Pharrel Payne, that’s simply not something Maryland can come close to matching. Head coach Buzz Williams will need to find workarounds if his squad wants to be anything resembling competitive Wednesday.
3. History is on the Terps’ side. The Terps are clear underdogs against the Illini, but there is a strong record to lean on. They’re winners of five of the last six matchups between the schools — including a Big Ten Tournament contest last year — and haven’t lost in Champaign since January 2022.
