College Park, MD — In a thrilling NCAA men’s basketball clash, the Illinois Fighting Illini secured an 85-80 victory against the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday. This win marks Illinois’ first victory at Maryland since 2011. The game was closely contested, with Maryland briefly tying the score at 68 points. Despite Maryland’s recent woes in close games, they put up a strong fight against the Fighting Illini. Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr. exploded for 27 points and four blocks while Marcus Domask had a double-double for 19 points and 12 rebounds. The Terps never trailed by more than seven points this game but couldn’t break through for the win. Maryland was led by their top players, Jahmir Young and Julian Reese.
Illinois shot 48% from the field and almost 89% from the foul line. They had dominating performances from upperclassmen Shannon Jr. and Domask. Shannon started off kind of slow in the first half but after taunting from the crowd he picked up the intensity as the game went on. He has put himself in the top 20 in consensus mock drafts with his play this year. He has great size and length, which you cannot teach, and he is very instinctual. Shannon is very shifty and possesses great ball control and handles. The attribute to his game that cannot be overlooked is his speed. He has a wickedly quick first step that is a problem for defenders. He can blow past defenders in an instant, especially his matchup with Jahmir Young who is quite a bit shorter than him. He was looking for the extra pass early on but decided to take the game over in the second half. He covers so much ground, and he is talented tough shot creator and finisher. He finished with 27 points with 14 of those points coming from the charity stripe. Overall, a very good performance from him and I think he solidified himself as a high pick.
Domask was extremely impressive, he is the second leading scorer for Illinois, putting up 20-plus points in his last few contests. He had his way with Donta Scott all game, it was a clear matchup problem. He was looking for the best shot, picked his spots every time he touched the ball. Domask flashed high level ball handling and post moves for his size. He got to the paint at will it seemed but did look a little flustered once Maryland put more bodies on him to make him give up the ball. He looked to attack the basket every possession and played bully ball. Maryland had to switch out Scott and put Reese on him out on the perimeter which was another mismatch for the Terps. There were at least three occasions where he boxed out the taller Reese for rebounds. Domask left scouts very impressed along with Shannon.
Maryland’s Jahmir Young had a great game, finishing with 28 points, six assists and nine rebounds. He went 11-for-11 at the foul line and made an impact. Young is the team’s leading scorer and has been heavy lifting all year but, in this game, he showed refreshed energy. He had lots of burst and picked his spots in this game. He was a mismatch for Shannon, but he matched his production, it was like they were in a heavyweight bout against each other. He showed efficient aggression going to the basket when he seen his spots. He made good reads and displayed good court vision; he made tough shots. He followed through on his missed shots with fervor I haven’t consistently all year resulting in his high rebound total. Reese had a strong performance finishing with his fourth consecutive double-double, 18 points and 11 rebounds. He didn’t take advantage of his matchup against Coleman Hawkins as often as he should, but he was still physical. Reese made notable improvement to his free throw shooting mechanics and converted six of seven foul shots. His hand movement seemed to be more of a follow through and not the wonky motion he usually displays. Overall, it was an encouraging sign for the Terps big man.
Maryland is now 14-12 with a 6-9 conference record, while Illinois is 19-6 and is now second in the conference with a 10-4 record.
This article was written by Kenneth Moore, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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