Alabama Basketball Hands Illinois First Loss of Season in C.M. Newton Classic

The Crimson Tide has now won its annual Birmingham game for the second season in a row.

Nov 20, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; Illinois forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) defends a three pointer by Alabama forward Grant Nelson (4) in the CM Newton Classic at Legacy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— The Alabama men’s basketball team had its second consecutive go-around against a ranked Big Ten team on Wednesday, and it went better than the first. The No. 8 Crimson Tide picked up a marquee non-conference win, 100-87, against No. 25 Illinois in Birmingham.

Alabama (4-1) took a 52-38 lead into the break thanks to a red-hot first half from forward Grant Nelson, who put up 19 points in the C.M. Newton Classic’s first 20 minutes. The Fighting Illini (3-1) struggled to keep pace as the Crimson Tide hit its first four three-point attempts of the game in a row. 

Illinois fought back in the second half, despite also dealing with fierce opposition from the scoring of Alabama guards Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon. Brad Underwood’s squad spent much of the second half down double digits, but managed to whittle it down to 71-62, 73-65 and 86-78 at various points. Even so, it wasn’t enough for the previously-unbeaten visitors to get it done inside Legacy Arena.

The level to which star Crimson Tide point guard Mark Sears factored into the contest was curiously negligible. He and Jarin Stevenson struggled from beyond the arc, and Sears did not score any points. Nelson finished just shy of an Alabama career high with 23 points, and Philon finished with 16 points. Holloway netted 18 points. Latrell Wrightsell Jr. equaled Philon with 16 of his own.

Wednesday's contest was the Crimson Tide's final game prior to a much-anticipated Nov. 26 matchup with No. 7 Houston in Las Vegas. Following a tough road outing last Friday against then-No. 13 Purdue, the Illinois triumph creates some big momentum for Alabama going into that game.

How it Happened:

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Second Half:

Alabama vs. Illinois final box score. / Will Miller

• Final: No. 8 Alabama 100, No. 25 Illinois 87.

• Timeout Illinois, as Alabama leads 92-78 with 2:19 to play. Barring an intense comeback effort, it looks as though the Fighting Illini are headed towards their first loss of the campaign.

• Latrell Wrightsell Jr. now has four fouls.

• Illinois isn't going away, down 86-77 at the under-four media timeout. There's 3:52 to play in the 2024 edition of the C.M. Newton Classic.

• At the under-eight timeout, the Crimson Tide has begun to create some separation once more. It's 80-65 with 7:29 remaining.

• The clock is back in operation.

• The game is in a brief delay because one of the baskets' clocks is not working. 'Dixieland Delight' is playing inside Legacy Arena.

• Mark Sears ramping up his production- he still hasn't scored- will be big for Alabama to close this game out. The Crimson Tide leads 73-65 with 9:52 to go.

• Illinois is fighting back into this ballgame, going on an 8-0 run to cut it back to single digits. With 11:27 to play, Nate Oats calls timeout as Alabama leads 71-62.

• After a three, Aden Holloway now has 14 points at the 14:42 mark of the second half.

• At the under-16 timeout, the Crimson Tide leads Illinois 63-50 with 15:06 to play.

• The second half gets underway at 9:06 p.m. CT. First points of the half to Illinois.

First Half:

Alabama vs Illinois halftime box score / Will Miller

• Halftime: No. 8 Alabama 52, No. 25 Illinois 38.

• At the final media timeout of the first 20 minutes, Alabama is up 44-29 with 2:39 to go. That's with Mark Sears having zero points.

• Aden Holloway follows an Illinois travel and turnover with a four-point play. It's getting late early for the Illini, down 18 points with 4:28 to go in the first half.

• At the under-eight media timeout, with 7:44 to play in the half, Alabama leads the Fighting Illini 36-21.

• With 8:14 remaining in the first half, Illinois scores for the first time in approximately four minutes.

• Mark Sears' first shot attempt of the night comes with 8:36 to play in the first half.

• The Crimson Tide enters the under-12 timeout on a 6-0 scoring run and with a 29-19 lead. 10:18 to play in the opening half.

• Nelson has 13 points at the 14-minute mark of the first half.

• Grant Nelson is now up to four made baskets in this game.

• At the first media timeout, following a Labaron Philon bucket and an Aden Holloway three-pointer, Alabama leads Illinois 17-11 with 15:45 to go in half number one.

• Latrell Wrightsell gets in on the fun with a shot from distance, and Alabama is finding the bottom of the net at will. The Crimson Tide leads 12-9 with 17 minutes in the opening half.

• Make it three. He's on an absolute heater.

• Nelson has now buried two three-point baskets in a row to start off this game.

• First points of the night to Illinois on a three-pointer from Kasparas Jakucionis. Grant Nelson responds in kind for Alabama with a three of his own.

• Tipoff at 8:05 p.m. CT, and we are underway.

Pregame:

• Alabama starters: Philon, Sears, Wrightsell, Nelson, Omoruyi.

• With 36 minutes to go, Illinois has the floor and is warming up.

• With 48 minutes to go until the action, Alabama now has the floor for warmups.

• Both teams are on the floor warming up with 52 minutes to go until tip time.

How to Watch: C.M. Newton Classic

Who: No. 8 Alabama (3-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. No. 25 Illinois (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten)

When: Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. CT.

Where: Legacy Arena at BJCC, Birmingham, Ala.

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Color: Bryan Passink). The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.

TV: SEC Network

Series: Alabama leads 3-1 with the first matchup occurring on Dec. 12, 1953

Last meeting: The Crimson Tide took down the Fighting Illini 79-58 on March 17, 2015. Alabama's Levi Randolph and Rodney Cooper combined for 39 points on 13-of-20 from the field, Randolph and Retin Obasohan each grabbed seven rebounds, and Randolph also led the Tide in assists with five.

Last time out, Alabama: Alabama men's basketball fell to No. 13 Purdue 87-78 on Nov, in West Lafayette, Ind. for its first loss of the young season. The Boilermakers had the lead for a heavy majority of the evening and Alabama couldn’t maintain its couple of leads in the second half due to a massive run by Purdue. Purdue had the lead for nearly 30 of the game's 40 minutes while the Tide led for a little over five minutes. The ball movement took some time off the clock with each possession and may have tired out Alabama's defense as Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 26 points, guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer each logged 17 points while Smith also tallied 10 assists.

Last time out, Illinois: The Fighting Illini defeated Oakland 66-54 at home to advance to 3-0. Tomislav Ivisic led the way for Illinois with 20 points on a very efficient 9-of-14 from the field, while tying the team-high in rebounds with six and also recording a stellar four steals. Ben Humrichous was the only other member of the Fighting Illini to score double figures as he added 10 points to the stat sheet.