The Alabama Crimson Tide are playing their third of four straight Quad I games against the Illinois Fighting Illini, after losing to Purdue the last time out.
That loss, plus six days of practice, should provide coach Nate Oats time to prepare for Purdue’s Big Ten counterpart.
My Alabama vs. Illinois predictions and college basketball picks call for Alabama to bounce back with a cover on Wednesday, November 19.
Alabama vs Illinois prediction
Alabama vs Illinois best bet: Alabama +3.5 (-110)
The Alabama Crimson Tide had an embarrassing rebounding night against Purdue, which is the 16th-best offensive rebounding team in the nation. The Boilermakers rebounded nearly half of their missed shots in the game and built a 52-28 overall advantage on the boards.
Now Bama faces the Illinois Fighting Illini, who are two spots higher than Purdue in offensive rebounding rate and No. 2 in the country in overall rebounding margin. The Illini have 6-foot-9 freshman David Mirkovic, who grabbed 21 rebounds, to go with 27 points, in his last game.
This seems headed for a mismatch, but there are a few factors to consider.
First, Alabama has had six days off since that game, and coach Nate Oats is one of the sport’s top schemers and motivators. The Tide won’t take the floor with the same plan that failed against Purdue, and the Alabama players will have something to prove after Oats publicly questioned their effort.
Alabama also has plenty of size. Stretch four Talor Bol Bowen and sophomore Aiden Sherrell are 6-foot-10, while senior Noah Williamson is a 7-footer. The three combined for seven rebounds in 58 minutes against Purdue. In Alabama’s other two games, they’ve combined for 25 in 106 minutes, or a rate nearly twice as high as in the Boilermaker debacle.
Bol Bowen will likely match up with Mirkovic, and his ability to be a threat inside and out should challenge the Illinois freshman in a way Colgate, the victim of his 20-20 game, couldn’t.
Will Alabama win the rebounding battle? Maybe not, but the Tide will be better, and that should be enough to keep them within the spread. After all, being uncompetitive on the boards against Purdue only led to a seven-point loss.
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Alabama vs Illinois same-game parlay
Both teams like to play at a high pace, especially Alabama, which has the eleventh-highest tempo in the country. The Tide slowed it down against Purdue, however, just like Illinois downshifted against its toughest opponent so far this season, Texas Tech.
Look for the teams to keep things brisk but not reckless, which means an Under against that exorbitantly large cutoff.
Despite his struggles on the boards last game, Bol Bowen has scored 30 points in the last two games, against high-level opponents St. John’s and Purdue. He’ll be giving up bulk to Mirkovic, but will have a big edge in mobility.
Alabama vs Illinois SGP
- Alabama +3.5
- Under 182.5
- Taylor Bol Bowen Over 10.5 points
Our beyond the arc SGP: Mirkovic is no Edey yet
Mirkovic got plenty of attention for his 20-20 game, but it’s worth remembering that it was against Colgate, which went 14-19 last season and has lost to Northeastern already this year. Against Texas Tech, the only non-Quad IV team Illinois has faced, he was held to 11 points and four rebounds.
He wasn’t a big scorer on his European club team, either, averaging 7.9 points and 5.2 rebounds in two seasons.
Alabama vs Illinois SGP
- Alabama +3.5
- Under 182.5
- Taylor Bol Bowen Over 10.5 points
- David Mirkovic Under 16.5 points
Alabama vs Illinois odds
- Spread: Alabama +3.5 (-110) | Illinois -3.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Alabama +140 | Illinois -165
- Over/Under: Over 182.5 (-110) | Under 182.5 (-110)
Alabama vs Illinois betting trend to know
Alabama has covered the spread in 20 of its last 36. Find more college basketball betting trends for Alabama vs. Illinois.
How to watch Alabama vs Illinois
| Location | United Center, Chicago, IL |
| Date | Wednesday, November 19, 2025 |
| Tip-off | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | FS1 |
Alabama vs Illinois key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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