No. 8 Alabama picks up quality win over No. 25 Illinois in Birmingham
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — No. 8 Alabama basketball picked up a nice win for the resume on Wednesday night, knocking off No. 25 Illinois 100-87 in the annual C.M. Newton Classic in Birmingham. The win moves the Crimson Tide to 4-1 on the season, bouncing back from Friday night’s loss.
Alabama made another change to its starting lineup this game, moving Jarin Stevenson to the bench in favor of Labaron Philon, to start alongside Mark Sears, Latrell Wrightsell, Grant Nelson and Cliff Omoruyi.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The starting lineup change allowed Alabama to finally get the fast start on offense that it’s been craving all year. The Crimson Tide came out firing from deep, and Nelson started the game extremely hot, making his first three shots from beyond the arc.
The ball moved quickly and players moved without the ball actively. The offense looked a complete level higher than what we’d seen so far this season. By the under-12 timeout of the first half, Alabama had already pushed the lead to 10 points, while shooting over 60 percent from the floor.
It didn’t stop there, either. Alabama pushed out to a 17-point lead off a 13-0 run in the middle of the first half, with Philon repeatedly finishing at the rim like a pro. The Crimson Tide kept Illinois at arm’s length for the remainder of the first half, holding a 14-point lead at halftime behind Nelson’s 19 points at the break.
The surprising stat of the half, and the game, was 0 points from Sears, who’s in the middle of a minor shooting slump. Despite a scoreless half from its best player, Alabama showed how many other capable weapons it has offensively, with nine other players scoring and four players making a first-half three.
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Omoruyi picked up two quick fouls to start the second half, being sent to the bench with four fouls still with 17:48 left in the game. Omoruyi’s exit tested the Tide’s interior defense that got exposed against Purdue, and the Illini outscored Alabama over the first four minutes of the second frame.
Alabama did a nice job pushing the lead back out to 17 in the second half, but an 8-0 run from Illinois over a quick 90 seconds brought the lead back down to single digits at the under-12 timeout. But the Tide answered the punch, responding with a 7-0 run over two minutes to push the lead back to 15 by the under-8.
Back and forth the game continued, with Illinois again making a push late in the second half courtesy of talented freshman Will Riley. Entering the under-4 with the final stretch of the game looming, Alabama had just a 9-point lead, but the Crimson Tide was able to hold the Illini off until the final buzzer to secure the nice win.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Grant Nelson – 23 points, 8 rebounds
Labaron Philon – 16 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists
Aden Holloway – 18 points, 3-of-4 from 3-point range
WHAT’S NEXT
Alabama will travel to Las Vegas during Thanksgiving week to play three games in the Players Era Festival event. The Crimson Tide’s first game will be against No. 7 Houston on Tuesday at 7 p.m. CT. The game will air on TBS.
