The second of two elite matchups on Wednesday is between No. Alabama vs. No. 8 Illinois. Although this isn’t taking place at the home of the Fighting Illini, it is still taking place in Chicago, Illinois, at the United Center. This is the sixth matchup between Alabama and Illinois, with the Crimson Tide holding a 4-1 record against the Fighting Illini. Their last matchup was in November 2024, when Alabama won 100-87. This is the first meeting between the two programs in Illinois since Illinois’ first victory over Alabama in 1953.
Illinois is a -3.5-point favorite with the Crimson Tide being a +145 underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here is my best bet for tonight’s matchup between Alabama vs. Illinois.
Alabama vs. Illinois (9:00 p.m. ET)
After beating No. 5 St. John’s in their second matchup, Alabama suffered an 87-80 loss to No. 2 Purdue in their last game. Now the Crimson Tide has another opportunity against another top-10 team. Aden Holloway has been excellent this season, scoring 21 points in his two appearances this year. Labaron Philon Jr. totaled 22 and 25 points in his first two games, but only scored 11 points against Purdue.
The Crimson Tide has had a balanced attack this season with six players averaging double-digit points per contest. Having many options on offer may be a good thing, but it can also backfire on you. When Philon and Holloway have played at an elite level alongside each other, Alabama has been tough to beat. Another thing, Alabama needs to improve its defense to consistently beat the top teams in the country. They have allowed 96 and 87 points in their previous two contests. Alabama has the 12th-highest offense rating (121.4) and the 54th-best defense rating (99.5) according to KenPom.
Illinois is the sixth-best team in the country, with the third-highest offensive rating and 16th-best defensive rating according to KenPom. The Fighting Illini are led by veteran point guard Kylan Boswell, who is having his best season of his collegiate career. Boswell is averaging 18.5 points per game, 6.2 more points than last season. Freshman David Mirkovic is also averaging 18.5 PPG and is coming off the best performance of his young career with 27 points and 21 rebounds.
Even with Center Tomislav IvisicĀ still working his back from injury, this Illinois team is deep. They have one of the best freshman duos in Mirkovic and Keaton Wagler. With experienced players Boswell, Andrej Stojakovic, and Ben Humrichous, they seem to have enough to beat Alabama by four or more points.
