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Three Instant Observations From Illinois' 90-86 Loss to Alabama

The No. 8 Illini (4-1) struggled, scrapped and nearly scraped by – but ultimately fell short against the No. 11 Crimson Tide (3-1)
Jason Langendorf|
Nov 19, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell (4) goes to the basket against Alabama Crimson Tide during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Nov 19, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell (4) goes to the basket against Alabama Crimson Tide during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Illinois Fighting IlliniAlabama Crimson Tide

In its biggest matchup of the early season and on its "other" home floor, the No. 8-ranked Illinois men's basketball team came up short – in more ways than one – in a 90-86 loss to No. 11 Alabama on Wednesday at the United Center in Chicago.

It looked promising for the Illini (4-1) at the start, as they sprinted out to a 19-10 lead and the Crimson Tide (3-1) appeared discombobulated on defense. But hot early shooting gave way to cold stretches, some avoidable turnovers and a terrible night at the free-throw line (13-for-22, 59.1 percent). A couple of late pushes kept the Illini in it until the end, but too many miscues – with the ball, at the line and especially on defense – were too much to overcome.

Here are three more instant observations from Illinois' loss to Alabama:

1. Kylan Boswell is Illinois' most indispensible player

Illini coach Brad Underwood and his crew are still sorting out plenty of issues as the season only begins to heat up – but none of them is named Kylan Boswell. Even on Boswell's first poor shooting night from long range (0-for-3 on threes), he delivered literally everywhere else: 21 points, seven assists, four rebounds. He brought the ball up and ran the offense down the stretch. He was a rattlesnake defending on ball. Clutch free throws. A big late dish to Ben Humrichous that gave the Illini a last gasp at the end. All night, Boswell did Boswell things.

The lone hiccup was his missing the front end of a trip to the free-throw line with the Illini down by three in the final seconds. But it was Boswell who gave Illinois a chance in the first place, scoring 12 of its final 22 points, burrowing, driving, pounding his way to the rim and the line. It's clear the Illini look to him when they need a boost or when things go sideways, and they frankly should have looked his way sooner Wednesday.

2. The Andrej Stojakovic experience is never not exciting

Illinois has gotten everything it bargained for in Andrej Stojakovic, plus extra – though not all of it awesome. He got off to a quiet start, had a gonzo stretch of nine straight points for the Illini – including a monstrous dunk in traffic. He picked up his second foul before the half. He coughed up some ugly turnovers. He went on another heater in the second half that included three and-one opportunities – but clanked the free throw on two of them. He went just 2-for-5 from the line overall. It was that kind of night.

It can be hard to remember that the Illini, with another turned-over roster and so many injuries that have piled up, are pretty far behind the curve right now. They are going to need more time on the floor together to build connectivity, establish roles and find a syncopated team rhythm. Stojakovic can be an assassin in isolation, but he'll have to find the right balance of one-on-one swashbuckling and all-for-one team hoops that helps Illinois win the long race.

3. Illinois will have to pick its poison on D

Alabama may have the most potent scoring offense Illinois will face this season, but there will be others that can cause the Illini similar problems. They're going to have to find a way to solve them.

And by solve, we mean scheme. Zvonimir Ivisic is an intimidating rim protector, but he struggles to keep up with mobile bigs and in any defensive switches. Tomislav Ivisic is worse off. David Mirkovic, for all his talents, is a traffic cone in certain defensive scenarios. Mihailo Petrovic dazzled at times in his college debut, but he's going to give away some points on D – and pairing him with the 6-foot-2 Boswell is asking for trouble.

Bama targeted Illinois' big men in pick-and-roll all evening – and feasted on open three-point looks as a result. Exhibit A:

The Illini can go big or small, but certain lineups are simply going to have holes. With the roster finally getting healthy, Underwood and his staff are going to have to go through a few sets of whiteboard markers and a bunch of permutations on the floor to land on a set of strategies that will consistently hold up.

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Jason Langendorf
JASON LANGENDORF

Jason Langendorf has covered Illinois basketball, football and more for Illinois on SI since October 2024, and has covered Illini sports – among other subjects – for 30 years. A veteran of ESPN and Sporting News, he has published work in The Guardian, Vice, Chicago Sun-Times and many other outlets. He is currently also the U.S. editor at BoxingScene and a judge for the annual BWAA writing awards. He can be followed and reached on X and Bluesky @JasonLangendorf.

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