Two sloppy single-digit victories over Arkansas State and McNeese State provided some concern ahead of Alabama basketball’s next game and first of the year on the road against Purdue. While offense was the issue in the aforementioned two games, the Crimson Tide defense was the culprit against the Boilermakers as Alabama lost 87-78 on Nov. 15.
Alabama came into the Purdue game ranked as No. 2 in the nation, but that spot in the AP Poll will change come Monday’s weekly ranking. The Boilermakers were Alabama’s first opponent in a gauntlet of a slate against several ranked teams over the next month. Illinois, the Tide’s next matchup, isn’t ranked but is off to a 3-0 start following an NCAA Tournament run that ended in the Elite Eight.
Alabama vs. Illinois will be a neutral site matchup in Birmingham honoring former Alabama basketball head coach C.M. Newton in the C.M. Newton Classic.
Who: No. 2 Alabama (3-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. Illinois (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
When: Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. CT.
Where: Legacy Arena at BJCC, Birmingham, Ala.
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Color: Bryan Passink). The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.
TV: SEC Network
Series: Alabama leads 3-1 with the first matchup occurring on Dec. 12, 1953
Last meeting: The Crimson Tide took down the Fighting Illini 79-58 on March 17, 2015. Alabama’s Levi Randolph and Rodney Cooper combined for 39 points on 13-of-20 from the field, Randolph and Retin Obasohan each grabbed seven rebounds and Randolph also led the Tide in assists with five.
Last time out, Alabama: Alabama men’s basketball fell to No. 13 Purdue 87-78 on Nov, in West Lafayette, Ind. for its first loss of the young season. The Boilermakers had the lead for a heavy majority of the evening and Alabama couldn’t maintain its couple of leads in the second half due to a massive run by Purdue. Purdue had the lead for nearly 30 of the game’s 40 minutes while the Tide led for a little over five minutes. The ball movement took some time off the clock with each possession and may have tired out Alabama’s defense as Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 26 points, guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer each logged 17 points while Smith also tallied 10 assists.
Last time out, Illinois: The Fighting Illini defeated Oakland 66-54 at home to advance to 3-0. Tomislav Ivisic led the way for Illinois with 20 points on a very efficient 9-of-14 from the field, while tying the team-high in rebounds with six and also recording a stellar four steals. Ben Humrichous was the only other member of the Fighting Illini to score double figures as he added 10 points to the stat sheet.
