INDIANAPOLIS — Midway through the second half of Friday night’s Big Ten tournament quarterfinal, Maryland guard Rodney Rice slipped and remained on the court for a few moments, grabbing at his right leg. But with the shot clock winding down, the sophomore got to his feet, gathered a pass from Ja’Kobi Gillespie and swished a three-pointer while drawing a foul.
It was the second of two four-point play opportunities for Rice and indicative of the second-seeded Terrapins’ overwhelming performance in an 88-65 victory over No. 7 seed Illinois at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Rice finished with a game-high 26 points, setting a school record in a conference tournament game with seven three-pointers, to help send Maryland (25-7) to Saturday’s semifinals for the third time since it joined the Big Ten but first since 2016.