The question going into the game against Illinois was how Alabama would respond after a tough loss to Purdue. It was a big bounce-back effort for the Tide, winning a back-and-forth event basically in a road situation inside the United Center. Labaron Philon came through in the clutch with a strong 24-point performance to lead Nate Oats' team to victory. The biggest criticism from Oats coming into this game was the lack of effort rebounding against the Boilermakers, and the team responded well, only losing tonight's rebound battle by two.
Taylor Bol Bowen showed why he was brought in from Florida State with a strong all-around effort, which included some huge defensive stops down the stretch. Keitenn Bristow finally was healthy enough to play and was all over the court, putting up 10 points and grabbing eight boards. As he continues to get healthy from the ankle injury, it is clear how important he is going to be to the success of this team.
Illinois was led by Andrej Stojakovic, who dropped 26 points, but his struggles from the free throw line may have cost the Illini from winning this huge SEC vs Big Ten clash. There was a definite tournament feel to the game, and this is the type of game that will go far for both teams come March when their seasons are on the line. This was about as good a game as you can expect to see from two premier programs in mid-November. Alabama will look to continue its winning ways with another tournament-type of matchup against Gonzaga on Monday night in the Player Era Festival. It would be great to see this Crimson Tide team build off this Illinois win with a strong performance in next week's tournament, which is full of teams that will be playing in March.