Illinois Fighting Illini vs Alabama Crimson Tide Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 11/20/2024

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Venue:  Legacy Arena, Birmingham, AL

Where to Watch:  SEC Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Illinois +8, Alabama -8; Over/Under:  165.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Illinois +8, Alabama -8; Over/Under:  165.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Illinois +8, Alabama -8; Over/Under:  165.5 points

Illinois Fighting Illini:  3-0 (0-0) (6th place, Big Ten)

Alabama Crimson Tide:  3-1 (0-0) (12th place, SEC)

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Illinois Fighting Illini:  3-0  last 3

Alabama Crimson Tide:  3-1  last 4

Illinois is entering this game with a 3-0 record overall, a 0-0 record in conference games, and they are 3-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in their last game. Tomislav Ivišić led the team in points per game in that game with 20 while Ben Humrichous was next on the team with 10. Kasparas Jakučionis and Tre White each led the team in assists with 3 in that game while Ben Humrichous, Tomislav Ivišić, and Kasparas Jakučionis each led the team in rebounds with 6. They were 41.8% from the field, 28% from 3-point range, and 76.5% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 89.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 59.7 PPG against them. Illinois has an ATS record of 2-1 this season and their O/U record is 1-2.

Alabama is entering this game with a 3-1 record overall, a 0-0 conference record, and they are 3-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Purdue Boilermakers in their last game. Labaron Philon led the team in points in that game with 18 while Mark Sears was next on the team with 15. Mark Sears led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Grant Nelson led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 44.4% from the field, 31% from 3-point range, and 86.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 87 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 71 PPG against them. Alabama has an ATS record of 1-3 this season and their O/U record is 1-2-1.

The current betting odds have Alabama listed as an 8 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Alabama has looked good in their games this season with their 3-1 record overall, but that 1 loss puts them in the lower half of the SEC with a lot of undefeated teams in the conference still. They are coming off their first loss of the season in their last one, losing to Purdue by 9 points, and that was also their first road game of the year. They will be looking to bounce back in this game though since they are still ranked as one of the best teams in the nation and they have looked a lot better in their home games with their 3-0 home record. Meanwhile, Illinois has looked really good in their games this season with their 3-0 record overall which has them right in the mix in the Big Ten with all the other undefeated teams. Illinois has only played games at home this season though so this is going to be their first road test of the season and they are getting a much better and angry Alabama team looking to bounce back from their first loss. Alabama has the talent to win this game by double digits and they had one of the best offenses in the country last season so scoring won't be an issue and Illinois will struggle to keep up. The best way to place a bet here is on Alabama to cover the spread in this game.

Illinois Alabama Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Wednesday, November 20, 2024 (9:00 pm ET start time) is Alabama 86 Illinois 74.

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Illinois Fighting Illini: 5-10 1H ATS in all neutral court games. 2-7 1H ATS after allowing 55 points or less. 14-26 1H ATS versus good shooting teams - making 45% of their shots or more. 11-4 OVER in all neutral court games. 11-5 OVER after 3 or more consecutive wins. 24-15 OVER versus good shooting teams - making 45% of their shots or more.

Alabama Crimson Tide: 38-24 ATS as a favorite. 15-7 ATS after playing a road game. 25-16 ATS versus good defensive teams - shooting pct defense of 42% or less. 13-6 OVER when the total is 160 to 169.5. 26-10 OVER versus good shooting teams - making 45% of their shots or more. 23-14 OVER versus teams who are called for 17 or less fouls/game.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  None.

Alabama Crimson Tide:  None.

"Our guys have to understand the true saying, 'Every day guy,' it's who we have to be. I'm so ecstatic with our guys (from the Oakland win) because it wasn't pretty and you found a way to win ugly. We did that with gritty defense and very few mistakes on that end." - Brad Underwood on his team this season. 

"His attitude's great. I love him. He makes you want to play him more because he's just come in and worked really hard the last three days, and I would anticipate him getting a lot more minutes than that this next game." - Nate Oats on Aiden Sherrell after his team’s loss against Purdue in their last game. 

K. Boswell 

B. Humrichous 

T. Ivisic 

K. Jakucionis 

T. White

C. Omoruyi 

L. Philon 

D. Reid 

M. Sears 

J. Stevenson

PPG: W. Riley (17.7)

APG: K. Jakucionis (7.7)

Reb/G: T. Ivisic (9)

PPG: M. Sears (17.3)

APG: L. Philon (4.3)

Reb/G: C. Omoruyi (7.8)

Coaches:

Illinois Fighting Illini: Brad Underwood (8th season)

Alabama Crimson Tide: Nate Oats (6th season)