Illinois basketball had an admittedly well-deserved week off for the holiday season, but naturally, the program’s five-game winning streak came to a screeching halt in College Park on Tuesday night. The Orange and Blue opened Big Ten season in forgettable fashion thanks to an abysmal 84-59 blowout loss to the Maryland Terrapins.
Malcolm Hill showed up to play, per usual, and he led the Orange and Blue with 21 points and 7 rebounds on 6-10 shooting from the field. The star senior also recorded his 1,500th career point, making him just the 11th player in program history to reach the milestone.