No. 25 Illinois (3-0) has its first test of the year on Wednesday, and it’s a big one. The team travels to Birmingham for an anticipated matchup with No. 8 Alabama (3-1). 

The Crimson Tide are about as much competition an inexperienced roster can get this early in the season and were as high as No. 2 just last week. A thrilling game with No. 6 Purdue (4-0) ended in defeat for Alabama. Still, there were plenty of positives they could take away from the road test in one of the toughest environments in collegiate athletics. 

Get to know the Tide

Alabama knows how to rebound from a loss. The last time head coach Nate Oats’ team dropped a game, they responded with four straight victories in March Madness. He has another dangerous squad, but the early season will be rough. 

Alabama had a three-game stretch in the 2023-24 non-conference slate where it solely played teams ranked No. 8 or higher. Oats decided to one-up that this season by giving his team six consecutive ranked opponents. Illinois is just second in this ridiculous gauntlet of games for Alabama.

Both teams fell to the National Champion UConn Huskies in the tournament last year, although Alabama advanced one round further. This came after the Tide were the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament two years ago. Oats has turned the program into a contending powerhouse for the foreseeable future.  

Various veterans and young studs are making things happen for Alabama this year, but graduate student guard Mark Sears is leading the way. If anything was certain for the Tide after their roster rehaul, it was that this was Sears’ team. He was the leading scorer in four of five NCAA tournament games last year and is one of the best players in college basketball.

Through four contests, Sears is averaging a super-efficient 17 points per game. He only attempts 11 shots per game and initiates a ton of contact around the rim to get to the line. He’s the leader of a potent guard group that can score the rock.

Freshman guard Labaron Philon and graduate student guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. back Sears up nicely. They each average 12 points per game, and Philon can facilitate the basketball. He was one of the top freshmen in his class and has gelled nicely with his backcourt teammates.

The Tide also has fantastic depth, with size and shooting throughout the roster. Ten players average 10 or more minutes through four games, illustrating Oats’ confidence in his talent down the bench. 

Illini to watch

Multiple underclassmen have stood out through the first three games for the Illini, but this screams a matchup where they’ll need to lean on their experience. Alabama’s top three scorers played 30 or more minutes in the Final Four last season, so who matches up with them?

Insert junior guard Kylan Boswell. While he’s only averaging five points per game right now, these are the matchups that Illinois recruited him for. He played in big games against Arizona and responded with some big moments. 

He reached double figures in five of their six important non-conference games last year. This includes his performance against Alabama, where he recorded 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals. Having young players is exciting, but eventually, Illinois will need something from its players who have been in these situations before.

If they want experienced guys to step up on Wednesday, it’s hard to look anywhere other than the oldest player on the roster. Graduate student forward Ben Humrichous hasn’t played many ranked opponents in his career, but he can still have an impact. He’s been terrific scoring the basketball so far, and a confident stroke from Humrichous will go a long way toward the outcome of the game.

What does this game mean?

Games like these are why the recruits chose Illinois. With five Power 4 non-conference games on the schedule, the Illini will have their fair share of time on national television, and that doesn’t even count the high-profile matchups inside the conference.

Facing a program that returned a bunch of its best players from a Final Four squad will be tricky for such a young Illinois team, but they are talented, too. The game is by far the best on the Wednesday slate, giving Illinois an early test with all eyes on them.

A win by no means hurts Illinois. In fact, it could benefit them down the stretch. Obviously, Illinois would rather win every game, but a loss to a solid Alabama team could help Illinois address any early-season weaknesses.

Last year’s group was tested early when it dropped its third game to Marquette. This experience molded them as the season went on and allowed them to have postseason success. Still, a win in Alabama would be oh-so-sweet.

@benfader7

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