Illinois basketball is still months away, but I wanted to take a look at how we have fared against some of the big conferences in the sport.
Over the years, the SEC has had great teams emerge and get to the national championship. But has the SEC had to go through a tough Illini program in recent seasons?
How have these SEC programs done against Illinois throughout time? Well, it is time to look at Illinois vs the SEC.
Illinois basketball all-time record against current SEC programs
Illinois basketball vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
- 1-3 overall
Illinois doesn’t have a long history against Alabama. The two games have faced off four times in the history of college basketball with the Crimson Tide coming out ahead 3-1 in the series.
The last game between Alabama and Illinois came in the 2015 NIT. A rudderless Illini squad was destroyed by the Crimson Tide, 79-58.
The four-game series has been close score-wise. In the four games, Alabama averages beating Illinois by 0.75 points in each contest. The series total score has gone in favor of the Crimson Tide by a total of three points.
Illinois basketball vs. Arkansas Razorbacks
- 5-1 overall
Despite the last game between the two teams not going well, Illinois has had a strong history against Arkansas. The Illini are 5-1 all-time in this series.
The last game was recent, as Arkansas was able to get the best of the Illini 73-63 in the NCAA tournament. Before that, Illinois had won five straight against the Razorbacks.
Overall, Illinois has outscored Arkansas by 44 points in the six games, which comes out to the Illini ahead by 7.3 points per game in each contest.