Advertisement

Women's basketball Game 29 preview: (9) Illinois vs. (8) Maryland, 11:30 a.m. Thursday

joe vozzelli, the news-gazette, champaign-urbana, ill.
·6 min read

Mar. 6—Lineups

Illinois (14-14)

Starters

P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown

G Makira Cook Sr. 5-6 15.5 Cincinnati

G Genesis Bryant Sr. 5-6 14.1 Jonesboro, Ga.

G Adalia McKenzie Jr. 5-10 10.7 Brooklyn Park, Minn.

F Kendall Bostic Sr. 6-2 12.4 Kokomo, Ind.

C Camille Hobby Sr. 6-3 9.3 Jacksonville, Fla.

FYI: In Sunday's 74-73 win against Nebraska on Sunday in the Illini's regular-season finale, McKenzie was held scoreless for the first time since her first college game against North Carolina Central on Nov. 9, 2021. McKenzie played 23 minutes against the Cornhuskers, finishing 0 for 4 from the floor with four assists, four rebounds, one personal foul and one turnover.

Off the bench

P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown

G Gretchen Dolan Fr. 5-11 4.9 Buffalo, N.Y.

F Shay Bollin So. 6-3 2.4 Raynham, Mass.

F Brynn Shoup-Hill Jr. 6-3 3.3 Goshen, Ind.

Maryland (17-12)

Starters

P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown

G Bri McDaniel So. 5-10 13.0 Chicago

G Jakia Brown-Turner Gr. 6-0 13.8 Oxon Hill, Md.

G Shyanne Sellers Jr 6-2 15.3 Aurora, Ohio

G/F Brinae Alexander Gr. 6-0 8.8 Murfreesboro, Tenn.

G/F Faith Masonius Gr. 6-1 5.9 Belmar, N.J.

FYI: The Terrapins led the Big Ten in both free-throw attempts (608) and made free throws (468) with Maryland shooting 77.0 at the line. That mark was fourth best in the league behind Illinois (80.2), Purdue (78.9) and Iowa (77.4). Sellers was the top Terps player in makes (139), attempts (163) and percentage (85.3) in terms of free-throw shooting.

Off the bench

P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown

F Allie Kubek R-Jr. 6-2 8.3 Elkton, Md.

G/F Emily Fisher Fr. 6-0 2.9 Libertyville

C Hawa Doumbouya Fr. 6-7 2.1 Bronx, N.Y.

Details

➜ Site: Target Center (19,356); Minneapolis.

➜ TV: Sloane Martin (play by play), Christy Winters-Scott (color analyst) and Meghan McKeown (sideline reports) will have the call on BTN.

➜ Radio: Mike Koon will have the call on WDWS 1400-AM & 93.9-FM.

➜ Series: Maryland leads 16-0.

➜ Last meeting: Maryland defeated Illinois 69-53 on Feb. 11 in Champaign.

➜ FYI: The Terrapins eliminated the Illini at last season's Big Ten tournament with sixth-seeded Illinois losing 73-58 to No. 3 seed Maryland in the quarterfinals on March 3, 2023, in Minneapolis. That night, the Terps were led by 14 points apiece from Diamond Miller and Abby Meyers, while the Illini saw Makira Cook finish with a game-leading 19 points but on 8-for-22 shooting.

Beat writer Joe Vozzelli's storylines

A tale of two different games

The first two matchups with Maryland could not have played out much different from an Illinois perspective. Getting stops was the problem in the January loss. The February rematch back in Champaign saw the Illini struggle to find any offensive rhythm and the Terrapins pull away in the fourth quarter. "Watching them again and breaking them down, they play that 3-2 zone," Illinois coach Shauna Green said. "They're really long, so they did a good job of keeping us out of the paint in that second contest. I really thought after rewatching it, that was a game we really got some good shots. We couldn't make anything. That was, if you remember, we missed a ton of layups. ... So we have to be ready for their zone. We have to be ready for their pressure. ... We have to be able to take care of the paint No. 1 against them and keep them in front and force them into more of a perimeter game."

Help wanted: Outside shooting

The Illini's regression in terms of shooting percentages has been a topic of conversation throughout this season. One that has become a debate of whether Illinois overperformed last season when the Illini shot 37.2 percent beyond the arc, the second-best mark in the Big Ten. That Illinois ranks 12th in the league in three-point shooting (32.0) through 28 games this winter despite basically having the same roster is a stark contrast. It's forced the Illinois staff to search for answers. "We have looked at everything from analytics, every different way possible," Green said. "We have to continue to evaluate and look at it even in the offseason and see what we can do better and a solution in terms of how we can get better at that in this summer and even going into next season. The inconsistency has been there in terms of shooting from three and even shooting around the rim. We have to get better at that."

'We're ready for the challenge'

The fact the Illini enter the Big Ten tournament with a mostly healthy roster is important. But Illinois is also playing some of its most fluid basketball of what has mostly been an underwhelming 2023-24 season. While the inconsistencies remain — an 87-70 loss at Michigan State on Feb. 29 showed the Illini are far from a complete product — Illinois does arrive in Minneapolis with wins in six of its final 10 regular-season games. That has led to a feeling the Illini might have a run in them in Minneapolis. "We've been talking about, like how better we feel now around this time than we felt last year," Illinois senior guard Genesis Bryant said. "As you all saw, everybody was breaking down towards this time last year. I just feel like we're at a good place mentally. I feel like that's the most important, as well. ... I just think we're ready. We're optimistic. We're ready, and we're just ready for the challenge."

The News-Gazette's Pick

Maryland 72, Illinois 65

The Terrapins aren't the ideal matchup for the Illini. Illinois would likely have much rather played Michigan in the second round. Making perimeter shots will be a key Thursday during the late morning/early afternoon game in Minneapolis, something the Illini have yet to show the ability to do on a consistent basis. It could again be their downfall at the Target Center. A loss, though, might not be the end of Illinois' season with the new 32-team Women's Basketball Invitation tournament sponsored by the NCAA a possibility even if the Illini have a losing record. (N-G prediction record: 16-12)