Alabama basketball earned another impressive victory away from home on Wednesday night, knocking off previously unbeaten and No. 8 Illinois, 90-86. It's the second win over a Top 10 opponent for the Crimson Tide in just four games. Alabama previously knocked off St. John's in Madison Square Garden before taking down the Illini at the United Center in Chicago.
After getting dominated on the glass by Purdue last Thursday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama battled back against an Illinois team that came in ranked among the best in the country in rebound rate. After finishing -24 on the glass against Purdue, Alabama was only -2 against Illinois.
Illinois kept Alabama at bay for the majority of the first half. The Illini led by as many as nine early, but the Crimson Tide stayed connected and never let the game get away from them. Alabama pulled within one by halftime, and then took the lead for good early in the second half.
The teams went back-and-forth down the stretch, trading blows in the center of the ring like heavyweight boxers, but in the end, it was Nate Oats' team that came out on top and earned a massive resume-boosting victory.
4 observations from Alabama's 90-86 win over Illinois
1. Labaron Philon - The Closer
Star sophomore guard Labaron Philon got off to a sluggish start against Illinois, but down the stretch, it was Philon who shut the door on the Illini.
Alabama's defense struggled to get stops late in the second half due to some high-level execution by the Illinois offense, but it didn't matter because Philon took the game over. He scored nine consecutive points.
He got to the rim for a layup, tipped in his own miss the next time down, drilled a three-pointer, and then hit a runner in the lane to keep Alabama ahead by five points with 46 seconds to play.
Philon finished with a team-high 24 points (19 in the second half) and five assists with only one turnover.
2. Keitenn Bristow was the difference in the game
Keitenn Bristow made the most of his Alabama debut. Still not 100% after missing the first three games of the season due to an injured ankle, Bristow made a massive impact for the Crimson Tide on Wednesday night. He scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 20 minutes of action. That was probably more minutes than Oats intended to play the Tarleton State transfer, but it was hard to pull him off the court. His energy and effort on both ends were contagious.
Simply put, Alabama doesn't beat Illinois without Bristow tonight. He was the X-factor. If he can continue playing at this level, that's a huge addition for Alabama.
He and Taylor Bol Bowen next to one another in the frontcourt is an intriguing, versatile lineup that will cause a lot of issues.
3. Amari Allen continues to stuff the stat sheet
There were a few freshman moments for Allen that will make you want to pull your hair out, but you can't question the effort he brings on both ends of the floor night in and night out.
Allen hit a couple of threes and scored nine points, while adding 11 rebounds, four assists, and a steal. Allen is super active on the glass, and his willingness to attack the boards and rebound is huge for this team, considering the natural bigs (Aiden Sherrell and Noah Williamson) aren't great on the glass.
Allen will continue to get better, but even though his decision-making can be frustrating at times, Alabama can win with his effort.
4. Alabama showed flashes of defensive excellence
There were far too many defensive breakdowns down the stretch. If it wasn't for high-level execution on offense, particularly from Philon, Alabama could have blown the game because they couldn't keep Illinois from getting to the rim in the last few minutes.
Still, for the game, Alabama held Illinois to 1.06 points per possession, a number that will work for a team with as much offensive firepower as the Crimson Tide has.
You can tell Alabama has swapped philosophies on that end of the court. That's mainly out of necessity due to no true rim protecting five. Instead of playing drop like they have for years under Oats, the Crimson Tide is switching every ball screen.
There's still things to work on defensively, but the effort was strong, and Alabama will continue to get better on that end as the season goes on.