No. 8 Alabama continues its stretch against the Big Ten, taking on freshly-ranked No. 25 Illinois for a semi-home game in Birmingham, Ala. The Crimson Tide are coming off their first loss of the year, a nine-point defeat at Purdue on Friday. The Fighting Illini are 3-0 after a trio of nonconference wins.
Venue: Legacy Arena — Birmingham, Ala.
Time: 9 p.m. ET, Wednesday
TV: SEC Network
Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
Watching in-person? Get tickets on StubHub
Naismith Trophy watch-lister Mark Sears will look to improve on a shaky performance in the Purdue loss. He shot just 5-for-15 from the floor and had four turnovers. The Tide’s best player in that game was Labaron Philon, a freshman Alabama native who put up 18 points, five rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes off the bench.
Alabama’s offense has typically relied on the 3-ball, but amid an early slump around the perimeter (30.4 percent shooting), it’s actually doing its primary damage in the paint. Fifth-year forward Grant Nelson has converted a wild 85.7 percent of his 2-pointers, and fellow senior big Clifford Omoruyi is at a 77.8 percent clip.
Illini center Tomislav Ivišić will have his work cut out for him, but the team should be up for an interior challenge. Illinois comes into Wednesday leading the Big Ten in rebounding and third in blocks per game. Ivišić, a newcomer from Croatia, has started his collegiate career averaging 17.3 points and nine rebounds per contest. He forms a formidable young duo with freshman Will Riley (17.7 points per game, 69.2 percent on 3-pointers).
Both programs will be eager for a win ahead of tough stretches. This is Illinois’ first legitimate test of the season, and it can fashion some momentum before facing three ranked opponents (Arkansas, Wisconsin and Tennessee) in the next few weeks. Alabama couldn’t quite hang in that first meaningful trial with Purdue, and a second consecutive loss would be disconcerting. The Tide’s next five games, starting with this one, are against ranked teams. Houston, Rutgers, North Carolina and Creighton are up next.
This is not an official home game for Alabama — even though it’s at nearby Legacy Arena in Birmingham and is named the C.M. Newton Classic after the Tide’s longtime head coach. Newton won three SEC regular-season titles and was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. He recruited the program’s first Black player, Wendell Hudson, in 1969. He also started five Black players for the first time in conference history.
Illinois won the first head-to-head matchup in 1953. Alabama is 3-1 all-time and carries a three-game win streak.
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