No. 2-seed Maryland men’s basketball didn’t play in the first two rounds of the Big Ten Tournament after earning a double-bye.
But that didn’t slow down the Terps, who steamrolled No. 7-seed Illinois on Friday evening, 88-65. Maryland poured in 57 first-half points and never looked back. Now, it awaits the winner of No. 6-seed Purdue and No. 3-seed Michigan in Saturday’s semifinals.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
A sensational first-half run
Maryland didn’t start particularly strong — nor did Illinois. The Terps opened 0-of-3 from the field, while the Illini weren’t much better at 1-of-4.