Illinois Basketball vs. Alabama: Scouting the Crimson Tide

The Illini face their first significant test of the season on Wednesday against No. 8 Alabama

Jackson Langendorf | Nov 19, 2024

Nov 11, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) drives the ball down the court against the McNeese State Cowboys during the second half at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images / Will McLelland-Imagn Images

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No. 25 Illinois (3-0), freshly ranked in the AP Top 25 poll, should be in high spirits heading into Wednesday's matchup with No. 8 Alabama in Birmingham.

Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide, coming off a loss to No. 6 Purdue and having slid six spots in the poll, are about as motivated as a college basketball team can be in mid-November.

Taking on this fired-up Bama squad on its home turf (sort of) would be a tall task for any opponent, let alone a retooled Illini club facing its first big test of the season. Let's take a closer look at exactly what Illinois is up against in the Tide:

Strengths

Length and athleticism

A lineup featuring three 6-foot-11 starters is almost unheard of in college basketball, but that's exactly what Alabama has – and these aren’t your typical bigs. Clifford Omoruyi, Grant Nelson and Jarin Stevenson are all plus athletes, and Omoruyi (a Rutgers transfer) is an absolute menace around the rim. It’s hard to truly quantify the physical attributes of the Tide frontcourt, but 5.0 blocks and 12.3 offensive rebounds per game gives you an idea. As luck would have it, Illinois may just have the right combination of size and explosiveness to match up. With four starters standing 6-foot-6 or taller and a few high-flying athletes of their own, the Illini can certainly limit the effects of Bama’s usual advantages, but they must bring maximum effort on the boards and be razor-sharp on switches and defensive rotations and in help.

Ball movement

The Crimson Tide (17.0 assists per game) are one of the best passing teams in the country. With a scoring attack built around ball screens and drive-and-kicks, Alabama creates a lot of catch-and-shoot opportunities and dump-off layups and dunks – often from the mind and hands of guard Mark Sears. The only sure-fire defensive countermeasure is excellent on-ball defense. If the Illini are diligent and disciplined enough to stay in front on defense and keep the ball out of the lane, it’ll be difficult for the Tide to draw two and create for another.

Slick feed from Mark Sears 😮‍💨

(via @AlabamaMBB)pic.twitter.com/L1C9TKYQIQ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 16, 2024

Weaknesses

Forcing turnovers

Having forced only 9.5 turnovers per game – with three of those four games coming against mid-major squads – this huge, uber-athletic Alabama team hasn't created as much havoc on defense as logic would dictate. In last week’s loss to Purdue, the Tide turned over the Boilermakers only three times – a welcome sight for the turnover-prone Illini. Still, Illinois can't afford to be lackadaisical with the ball against a Bama squad with the firepower to instantly turn those miscues into points.

Perimeter shooting

Last season the Crimson Tide shot 37.7 percent on 3-pointers – one of the highest marks in college basketball – but have faltered from deep so far this season (30.4 percent). Much of that has to do with the transfer departures of Rylan Griffen and Sam Walters, and neither one of them are walking through that door Wednesday. Sears and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. can make up some of the difference, but Bama is otherwise lacking in consistent outside threats. On defense, the Illini figure to pack it in and focus on keeping the paint clear of Bama's guards, but they still must close hard and contest against both Sears and Wrightsell to prevent a hot-hand situation.

Player to Watch: Mark Sears

2024-2025 stats: 17.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists

Last season: 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists

Illinois has yet to see anyone like Sears, who was a preseason first-team All-American and may just be the best player in the country. A 43.6 percent 3-point shooter last season, Sears can scorch the nets from deep or go into his bag of tricks around the rim to finish among the trees. Also a facilitator, Sears is a do-it-all driving force for perhaps the most dangerous offense in college basketball. Expect Illinois guard Kylan Boswell to shadow Sears in one of the most exciting elite-offense-versus-elite-defense guard matchups of the season.