On November 20, 2024, the No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the No. 25 Illinois Fighting Illini 100-87 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

A crucial moment for Alabama came when Illinois missed 11 consecutive shots, allowing Alabama to extend their lead.

Freshman Labaron Philon had a standout performance for Alabama, contributing 16 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, compensating for a scoreless night from Mark Sears.

Grant Nelson led Alabama with 23 points, while Aden Holloway added 18 points to help secure the victory.

Alabama built a significant lead early in the game, going on a 13-point run to establish a 36-19 advantage, while Illinois struggled to close the gap.

Sears, who averaged 21.5 points per game last season, had a disappointing outing, missing all five of his shooting attempts before leaving the game with 11:27 remaining.

The Illini faced their first significant challenge of the season, falling to a 17-19 record in Top 25 matchups since the 2019-20 season.

Illinois was led by freshman Will Riley, who scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds, supported by Kylan Boswell with 17 points and Kasparas Jakucionis with 15.

Illinois is coming off a recent victory over Oakland, but struggled with shooting against Alabama, particularly during a critical stretch in the first half.

Looking ahead, Illinois will host Maryland-Eastern Shore on November 23, while Alabama is set to face No. 7 Houston on November 26 in Las Vegas.

Alabama was favored by 8.5 points in this matchup, with the over/under total set at 167.5 points according to SportsLine's betting odds.

Despite their recent struggles, Illinois has covered the spread in seven of their last nine games, while Alabama has only covered once in four games this season.