How to Watch No. 11 Alabama Basketball Against No. 8 Illinois

Everything you need to know, including TV and radio information, about the Crimson Tide's fourth game of the season against the Fighting Illini in Chicago.

Alabama guard Aden Holloway (2) drives the paint against Illinois at Legacy Arena at BJCC in Birmingham, AL on Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024. | Photo by Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

No. 11 Alabama men's basketball will play its fourth game of the regular season on the road against No. 8 Illinois on Wednesday, Nov. 19.

The ranked matchup is technically a neutral site contest, as the venue is the United Center in Chicago rather than the Fighting Illini's home venue of State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill. The United Center is home to the NBA's Chicago Bulls and the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks.

This is the latter portion of a neutral-site two-game series between these programs, as Alabama defeated Illinois 100-87 on Nov. 20, 2024 last season in the Birmingham venue, Legacy Arena at BJCC for the C.M. Newton Classic.

2025 NCAA Tournament Midwest Region 6-seed Illinois' season ended at the hands of 3-seed Kentucky 84-75 in the Round of 32. The Fighting Illini finished with a 22-13 (12-8 Big Ten) record and received the third-most votes outside of both the final AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll.

Illinois was also 3-0 last season before falling to Alabama, and the Crimson Tide aims to rebound from its loss to Purdue next Wednesday.

How to Watch: No. 11 Alabama vs. No. 8 Illinois

Who: No. 11 Alabama (2-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. No. 8 Illinois (4-0, 0-0 SEC)

What: Alabama's fourth game of the regular season (second on the road/neutral site)

When: Wednesday, Nov. 19, 8 p.m. CT

Where: United Center, Chicago, Ill.

TV: FOX Sports 1

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Color: Bryan Passink). The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.

SiriusXM: Channel 81 (Alabama), Channel 83 (Illinois)

Series: Alabama leads 4-1 with the first matchup occurring on Dec. 12, 1953.

Last Meeting: The Crimson Tide cruised past the Fighting Illini 100-87 on Nov. 20, 2024 in Birmingham. Grant Nelson scored 23 points, including 19 in the first half, while Aden Holloway netted 18 with Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Labaron Philon each tallying 16 points. Alabama showed its true depth as eventual Consensus First Team All-American Mark Sears didn't score a single point.

Last time out, Alabama: The Crimson Tide fell to No. 2 Purdue 87-80 at home on Nov. 13. While the margin on the scoreboard was close, and it was a tight race throughout, the same could not be said about the rebounding battle. The Boilermakers finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds compared to Alabama's seven, and 52 total boards to the Crimson Tide's 28. UA guard Aden Holloway scored 21 points, but it wasn't enough compared to Purdue guard Braden Smith's 29 and forward Trey Kaufman-Renn's 19.

Last time out, Illinois: The Fighting Illini cruised past Colgate 84-65 on Nov. 14. David Mirkovic absolutely annihilated the Raiders, as he scored 27 points and granned 21 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end. Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagner also stood out with 19 points and Kylan Boswell and Ben Humrichous also finished in double figures.

Alabama Stat Leaders

• Points: Labaron Philon (19.3 on 54.5 FG%)
• Rebounds: Amari Allen (7.0, including 1.0 offensive)
• Assists: Labaron Philon Jr. (6.0 with 3.0 turnovers)

Illinois Stat Leaders

• Points: Kylan Boswell (18.5 on 45.8 FG%)
• Rebounds: David Mirkovic (12.5, including 3.5 offensive)
• Assists: Kylan Boswell (3.8 with 1.8 turnovers)