For the Alabama Crimson Tide this will be a nice rebound opportunity after losing to another Big 10 team in Purdue last Friday. Both squads put four players in double figures but a strong outing from junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn dropping 26 points and 8 rebounds put the Boilermakers over the top.
Illinois will be a different challenge for Alabama than Purdue. While Purdue was set up more around their starting guards, with Kaufman-Renn finding a way to stand out Illinois is built around its three bigs.
The three leading scorers for Illinois this season are the forwards Will Riley and Ben Humrichous and then center Tomislav Ivisic. They form the core of a big Illinois team projected to finish fourth in the BIG 10.
The length of the Illinois shows up on the stat sheet too. Illinois this year is seventh in the nation in rebounding, averaging 47.33 RPG (first in the BIG 10). Illinois is third in the BIG 10 in blocks per game, second in points per game, third in offensive rebounds, and first in defensive boards.
Along with a strong post presence, the Illini aren’t afraid to shoot it from outside the ark. Illinois is 5th in the NCAA in threes attempted, though they have struggled to convert on those opportunities. Illinois is 115 in the nation in three-point percentage.
For Illinois, the game against Alabama will be their first real chance to prove themselves in its first-ranked matchup of the year. Last time out the Illini played host to Oakland and had to overcome 18 turnovers for a 66-54 win.
For Alabama, the game plan will begin with getting back on the glass and slowing down the three-point shooting. Purdue shot 9-16 from outside the ark for 56.3%. While that isn’t a ton of threes, especially in the modern era of college basketball, it’s the high conversion rate that is a concern.
While the Crimson Tide did manage to outrebound Purdue and has outrebounded opponents on the year, their +9 mark is 65th in the NCAA. Illinois, meanwhile, is 8th in the statistic +15 on the year.
One more thing I’d love to see out of the Crimson Tide is a repeat of the performance by freshman Labaron Philon. Against Purdue, Philon had 18 points, went 3-4 from range, and yanked down five rebounds. All of which made or tied a season-best for the Mobile, Al. native. Philon who was a top 30 recruit in last year's class had been in the starting five to start the year. But his move to a bench role against Purdue allowed him to see the game some and adjust to the speed and physicality of one of the top teams in the nation while he was still a major contributor with 27 minutes.
The game against Illinois won’t be a must-win for Alabama, but with No. 7 Houston, No. 24 Rutgers, and No. 14 Creighton all coming to town. Add in a road game in Chapel Hill with No. 10 North Carolina; it could be an important game to set the tone for a challenging finish to the non-conference slate.