Baltimoresun.com sports producer Sheil Kapadia will be posting his comments while watching tonight's matchup on ESPN2. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts during and after the game, and refresh your browser for updates.

20:00 -- Since we last spoke, the Terps hit 5-of-14 three-pointers in a 72-51 win over Lehigh. Illinois comes into this game 4-1, its only loss coming against No. 10 Duke. As always, feel free to chime in with your thoughts during and after the game.

19:36 -- Landon Milbourne turns it over on Maryland's first possession. Not a good start. Meanwhile, Mike Patrick is calling the game with Len Elmore on ESPN2. If Patrick starts talking about Britney Spears, this could be the greatest game-blog ever. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

19:00 -- James Gist misses from three-point range. Does anyone else think he should stop launching shots from beyond the arc? Gist is now 3-for-12 on the season from three-point range. He had only attempted 23 threes in his Maryland career before this season.

18:11 -- Greivis Vasquez misses a three. Maybe this game blog is bad luck?

17:36 -- Illinois gets on the board first with a put-back from Shaun Pruitt. Braxton Dupree is starting for Maryland because Bambale Osby is under the weather.

16:47 -- Tied at 2. Not exactly a barnburner here. The Terps' first basket is a dunk by Milbourne on a fast break.

15:27 -- Illinois is 2-for-10 from the field while Maryland is 2-for-7.

13:54 -- Eric Hayes nails a three-ball to tie the game at 10. Also, Osby has entered the game, but his minutes could be limited.

12:58 -- Another three-pointer from Hayes gives Maryland a 15-10 lead. This one was a full foot behind the line. A very good sign for the Terps. Meanwhile, freshman forward Jerome Burney has gotten the early call off the bench from Gary Williams.

10:31 -- Mike Davis has come off the bench to hit back-to-back shots for Illinois, tying the game at 17. Davis is a freshman from T.C. Williams High School. If you're not picturing Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans right now, there's something wrong with you. Illinois also has a Baltimore product in point guard Chester Frazier.

9:18 -- A major story line in this one will be rebounding. Illinois entered this game averaging a +9.8 advantage on the glass. The Illini are outrebounding the Terps by eight so far.

8:07 -- Nice put-back by Dupree. The 6-8 freshman has been Maryland's best player so far with six points on 3-for-4 shooting to go along with three rebounds. Calvin Brock leads Illinois with eight points.

6:51 -- Illinois is shooting just 34 percent from the field. Ladies and gentlemen, we may have found a team that shoots worse than the Terps.

6:01 -- Dupree again. Maryland takes a 23-21 lead.

3:30 -- Illinois has 11 offensive rebounds, which has allowed them to stay in the game despite serious struggles from the field.

3:17 -- Another three-ball for Hayes, his third of the game, ties the game at 26. It hasn't been pretty, but it's been entertaining with the two teams exchanging several leads in the first half.

3:00 -- Elmore and Patrick make some sort of painting analogy. I'll be honest. I'm confused. If anyone can explain, please do so.

2:14 -- Freshman Cliff Tucker scores for the Terps. Patrick comments, "Davis has been very effective off the bench." Both Tucker and Mike Davis wear the No. 24. I guess Patrick just mixed up his teams. It's OK Mike. No one said announcing games was easy. And I'm sure I'll make a mistake at some point during this blog.

0:34 -- James Gist is 2-for-7 and has struggled in the first half, but he just scored to tie the game at 32.

0:00 -- The score stays tied at 32 going into halftime. The Terps will need to do a better job on the glass in the second half, and Gist or Vasquez need to get going.

SECOND HALF

19:51 -- Dupree picks up right where he left off, scoring the first basket of the second half to put Maryland up, 34-32.

17:18 -- Illinois' Pruitt is now 1-for-7 from the field. He entered the game averaging 11.2 points per game and shooting 47 percent from the field.

16:26 -- A couple of bad plays by the Terps. Hayes was blocked by Frazier on a fast break. On Maryland's next possession, Vasquez threw an alley-oop to Gist that had about a three percent chance of working. Illinois broke up the play and scored on its next offensive possession to take a 37-36 lead.

16:00 -- Gist tries again from beyond the arc and connects this time. 39-37 Terps.

15:42 -- Vasquez is called for a lane violation. Don't you feel like they could call a lane violation on every free-throw attempt?

15:13 -- Maryland has held Illinois' leading scorer Brian Randle scoreless so far. He came into this game averaging 11.8 per game. Meanwhile, I wonder what former Virginia Tech quarterback Bryan Randall is up to nowadays.

12:48 -- Hayes hits another three, his fourth of the game, to put the Terps up 44-42.

11:46 -- This game has seen 15 lead changes and 10 ties. Hayes just tried for the heat check and came up a little short on a three-point attempt.

10:27 -- Tucker with a couple big-time buckets for Maryland to give the Terps a 49-44 lead. Nice energy from the freshman.

9:47 -- 13 offensive boards for Illinois. That's keeping them in the game.

8:54 -- Nice finish with the left hand by Hayes. He's having an outstanding game. That was his first non-three. He has 14 points. Meanwhile, Gist just went out of the game with his third foul and was replaced by Osby.

8:22 -- It's Cliff Tucker's world. The freshman from El Paso, Texas has nine points on 4-for-4 shooting. Maryland has opened a 53-46 lead.

7:02 -- Gist picks up his fourth foul while trying to take a charge.

6:04 -- A blocked shot by Burney leads to a Vasquez fast-break dunk, giving Maryland a 55-49 lead. Nice effort from the Terps' freshmen tonight.

5:30 -- Burney with a follow-up dunk gives the Terps a 57-49 advantage.

3:54-- Nice hustle play by Hayes leads to a jump ball, giving Maryland possession. Gist scores to put the Terps up, 61-55.

1:57 -- Maryland has only turned it over 11 times tonight.

1:15 -- Shouldn't have said that. Hayes just threw the ball away, and Pruitt scored for Illinois to cut Maryland's lead to 62-60.

0:14 -- Hayes and Milbourne hit their free throws down the stretch as the crowd breaks out in an "A-C-C" chant. That's right. This was part of the ACC/Big 10 challenge. Maybe I should have mentioned that earlier.

0:00 -- The Terps hold on for the 69-61 victory.

A lot of things to like about this game, particularly the play from the freshmen. Dupree did a nice job, especially in the first half as a starter. Burney and Tucker gave Maryland some nice energy off the bench. And Milbourne hit a couple big free throws down the stretch. Meanwhile, Hayes was hot from beyond the arc, scoring a career-high 18 points, and he and Vasquez took care of the ball while dishing out a combined 14 assists. Gist added 12 points and nine boards with a strong second half.

Maryland held a big advantage in points in the paint all game. Did it help that Illinois missed about 15 lay-ups? Sure. But that happens. What did you make of Maryland's performance?