5 interesting observations from the Illinois basketball loss to Alabama

Illinois basketball fought hard in a big game on Wednesday night only to come up just short against Alabama.

Nov 20, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; Illinois forward Will Riley (7) attempts to block a shot by Alabama center Clifford Omoruyi (11) in the CM Newton Classic at Legacy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News
Nov 20, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; Illinois forward Will Riley (7) attempts to block a shot by Alabama center Clifford Omoruyi (11) in the CM Newton Classic at Legacy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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2. Alabama is going to be nasty come March

Basketball is hard to predict, and sometimes teams just play well on different nights. Alabama had trouble with Purdue and fell to the Boilermakers. Just a few nights later, Purdue lost by double-digits to Marquette. Basketball happens, especially early in the season.

When I watched Alabama, I continuously thought to myself, this is one of the best teams in the country. They aren’t an overrated squad by any means, and I think that loss to Purdue was just early season hiccups.

The Crimson Tide has so much firepower at their disposal. They just put up 100 points against a Brad Underwood team. That alone is an impressive feat, but to make it even more impressive, they put up 100 points with one of their best players, Mark Sears, scoring zero points.

Sears went 0-of-5 from the field and had two assists, one rebound, and one steal. He also had two turnovers in 21 minutes of action.

If Alabama had Sears playing a B- game, let alone an A game, then could you imagine what number they would have put up? The fact the Crimson Tide can play that well with Sears laying an egg is incredible.

There is no shame in Illinois falling to Alabama on Wednesday night. The Crimson Tide are a great team and are going to be nasty come March. This is one of the best teams in the country without a doubt.

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