Are the No. 8 Illini (4-0) ready to clear up any remaining doubts in a superb matchup with No. 11 Alabama (2-1) on Wednesday in Chicago?

Illinois basketball opens as a slight favorite vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide

Illinois notched a signature non-conference win last week with an 81-77 triumph over Texas Tech in Champaign, doing so without all-Big Ten candidate center Tomislav Ivisic, who’s been recovering from injury. Now Ivisic is trending to rejoin the Illini’s lineup against Alabama.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/illinois as First Look at Illinois Basketball's Game 5 Opponent: Alabama Crimson Tide.

Brad Underwood said David Mirković takes the Illinois coaches’ critiques and “screams and cusses in Serbian,” but it’s all part of responding “in a really good way.”

Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats is challenging center Noah Williamson before facing a towering Illinois team. What to know.

Illinois women vs. Murray State in a NCAA basketball game at the State Farm Center in Champaign on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025.

The Kentucky Wildcats faced the Eastern Illinois Panthers in a college basketball game. Look back at the highlights from UK's nonconference game.

After a big win over Texas Tech, Illinois finds its way into the top 10 of the AP rankings for men's college basketball.