Alabama
4-1,0-0SEC
#25 Illinois
3-1,0-0Big Ten
No. 8/7 Men's Basketball defeats No. 25/20 Illinois, 100-87, in the 2024 C.M. Newton Classic
11/20/2024 11:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Crimson Tide wins its fourth consecutive game in Birmingham
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The No. 8/7 Alabama men's basketball team defeated No. 25/20 Illinois, 100-87 in the 2024 C.M. Newton Classic on Wednesday evening inside Legacy Arena at the BJCC.
The Crimson Tide (4-1) had four players reach double figures, with Grant Nelson leading the way with a season-high 23 points to go with a team-best eight boards. Labaron Philon closed the game with a near triple-double of 16 points, nine assists and seven boards, while Aden Holloway (18) and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (16) each finished in double digits.
The Fighting Illini (3-1) were led by Will Riley who scored 18 points total to go along with nine rebounds and four assists.
Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments
"That was a big win. Illinois is a good team, they're talented and have multiple guys who are going to end up playing in the NBA. They have length everywhere and they beat us on the boards tonight, so we have to be significantly better on the glass moving forward. I thought our guys did a much better job defensively, we needed to clean a few things up going into tonight, but we played hard all game and had a great group in there defensively at the end to close it out. On offense, I thought we got to the rim all night which was huge, there were lots of positives all game. We shot the ball well from some of our guys. Grant (Nelson) got his confidence going early and Labaron (Philon) has been playing really hard and almost had a triple double. Overall, the ball movement was a lot better tonight – 23 total assists to only seven turnovers was big for us. A lot of positives to take away from tonight but there is still plenty of things for us to improve upon."
Team Stats
- Wednesday's meeting with Illinois marks the fifth matchup in series history, with the Crimson Tide holding the all-time series advantage at 4-1
- Alabama surpassed the century mark for the second time this season and for the 23rd time in Nate Oats' tenure
- The Crimson Tide distributed the ball well, totaling a season-high 23 assists on 39 made field goals
- UA took care of the basketball, finishing with a season-low seven turnovers
- Grant Nelson was on fire from behind-the-arc, tying his career-high with four made threes
- Alabama's bench played a crucial role in the victory, outscoring the Fighting Illini's reserves, 39-24
- The Crimson Tide also boasted an edge in the paint, with 50 points to Illinois' 38
- Labaron Philon flirted with a triple-double, scoring 16 points with nine assists and seven rebounds
First Half
- Alabama made five three-pointers on its first seven possessions, including Grant Nelson's perfect 3-of-3 start from deep
- The Crimson Tide was efficient on the offensive end, dishing out 13 assists on 21 made field goals, while only surrendering three turnovers
- UA shot 76 percent (13-of-17) from two-point range in the opening half
- Nine of Alabama's 10 players scored in the half, with Nelson leading all scorers with 19 points
- Aden Holloway was a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor, which led to 11 points
- The Tide forced Illinois to miss 11 consecutive field goals over a five-minute stretch, which allowed Alabama to hold a 14-point advantage at the break
- UA's 52 first half points are a season-high
Second Half
- After facing its largest halftime deficit this season, Illinois clawed back into the game, twice trimming the Alabama lead to eight points
- On both occasions, Alabama responded by immediately pushing the gap to at least 14 points
- Latrell Wrightsell Jr. led the Tide's offense in the second half, scoring 13 of his 16 points in the second stanza
- The Crimson Tide's ball distribution continued after the break, recording 10 assists on 18 made field goals
Up Next
- Alabama will head to Las Vegas, Nev., to compete in the Players Era Festival, beginning on Tuesday, Nov. 26
- The Tide will also play games on Wednesday, Nov. 27 with the final day of the event coming next Saturday, Nov. 30
- The Crimson Tide's first game in the Players Era Festival will be against No. 7/7 Houston at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT and can be seen on TBS.
