Alabama Must 'Help Each Other Out' to Take Down 'Elite' Illinois

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama men's basketball head coach Nate Oats loves to face a daunting opponent.

Whether it's a team with a legendary head coach like Rick Pitino of St. John's or All-American players like Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn of Purdue, Oats looks forward to the challenge as it builds the Crimson Tide's mentality over time.

But No. 8 Illinois, No. 11 Alabama's next opponent on Wednesday evening in Chicago, is a bit different than the then-No. 5 Red Storm and the then-No. 2 Boilermakers. The Fighting Illini have a head coach who is in his ninth season with the team, and the roster has six players averaging at least 10 points through its first four games of the 2025-26 season.

"Yeah, it's hard to focus on just one guy," Oats said during Tuesday's press conference. "Obviously, [Illinois guard Kylan] Boswell creates a lot of offense for them. But then [Andrej] Stojaković, he's a point guard as well. He can drive it, make plays. They've got shooting at the wing, shooting off the bench and then their bigs are good.

"I mean, it's like, you can't just say 'We're going to shut their front court down, we're going to shut their back court down, we're going to focus on their shooting.' It's not going to work like that. Everybody's going to have to be on top of their game. The team defense has to be elite."

Oats stressed that "We're going to have to help each other out," in addition to rebounding the ball — the main reason for Alabama's loss to Purdue this past Saturday. While the sample size is small, Illinois averages the ninth-most rebounds per game in the country and allows the eighth-fewest in the sport.

Three of the Fighting Illini's first four games have been against mid-major programs. Head coach Brad Underwood and company cruised to blowout wins in these matchups, but then-No. 14 Illinois narrowly outlasted then-No. 11 Texas Tech 81-77 on Nov. 11.

The Red Raiders' JT Toppin and LeJuan Watts combined for 56 points, but it wasn't enough. Illinois' Andrej Stojaković scored 23 points off the bench with three steals and two blocks, while starter Kylan Boswell had 22 points. Illinois also had three players tally 11 points apiece, two of whom combined for 14 rebounds.

"They're capable of putting up big numbers," Oats said of Illinois after watching the Texas Tech game. "I mean, they were up on Texas Tech pretty big during the second half. They're good defensively, too. Boswell just kind of switched over the top and he's one of the best players in the country. Pretty much said, 'I got him. When we make a switch, I've got this.' And they made him come back off it.

"I think their pick-and-roll game is elite. They do a good job. They play a pretty modern style. They're not just running pick and rolls with their point guard and their center. Their power forward, center, whatever you want to call him, is playing with the ball in their hands, coming off ball screens from their guards. They're hitting their guards in their pockets. They're running guard-guard ball screens."

That said, Alabama could use some of this to its advantage. Oats claimed that "we do a lot of what they do, and we're somewhat familiar with a lot of it." Of course, the personnel is a bit different, but it helps that the Crimson Tide has a sense of familiarity.

"Being used to guarding it and then actually guarding it with their personnel is different," Oats said. "They probably run a few more ball screens with the big handling the guard set than we did. We run a lot of those, actually. But they are one of the better teams in the country.

"I mean, Texas Tech, to me, is one of the best teams in the country. [Illinois] had them pretty good there in the first half. [Illinois] looked like they were dominating pretty well there for a half. Texas Tech made a run, Illinois showed enough grit and resolve to close it out there. So they're a good team, and there's a reason they're top-10."

This is now the third consecutive season that Alabama will face three top-10 teams in a row. The Crimson Tide lost two of those three games last season and all three in 2023-24. UA is 1-1 in the stretch this season and has the opportunity to finish it with a winning record tonight in Chicago at 8 p.m. CT on FS1.

If Alabama can quickly shake off its loss to Purdue and "help each other out" from start to finish against the Fighting Illini, the Tide should turn back in the right direction for the rest of the gauntlet non-conference schedule.

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