CHICAGO — No. 11 Alabama walked into the United Center on Wednesday night to face No. 8 Illinois in a building soaked in orange, noise and midwestern hostility — and the Tide walked out with a 90-86 résumé win that will echo well into March.
In the back half of FS1’s top-15 doubleheader, the Crimson Tide beat the Illini in a bruising, high-level November battle that felt more like an Elite 8 preview than a non-conference pit stop. Alabama showed poise, grit and maturity down the stretch, and once again, Nate Oats’ group looked every bit like one of the SEC’s best teams.
And when the moment demanded a closer, Labaron Philon Jr. gladly clocked in, dropping 24 points in ChiTown. Meanwhile, Keitenn Bristow added 10 points of his own, with 8 boards and Amari Allen dropped 9. Allen also grabbed 11 boards, coupled with 4 assists on the night.
Philon spent the final minutes slicing through Illinois’ defense, hitting big shots and playing with the swagger of a player who knows the keys to the offense now rest in his hands. Philon didn’t need fireworks — he simply controlled the tempo, made winning plays and looked every bit like the emerging All-SEC leader Alabama hoped for when the season tipped.
If this was his “I have arrived” moment, the rest of the league might want to check the locks.
But Philon wasn’t alone. Keitenn Bristow spent the entire night doing everything short of re-tiling the court: diving on the floor, muscling for rebounds, pestering ball handlers and injecting Alabama with the toughness needed to survive a true road-game atmosphere in an NBA arena, just a short drive up the road from Champaign. If Philon was the closer, Bristow was the pulse — beating loudly, consistently, and defiantly.
Oats, who practically speed-runs non-conference gauntlets every year, outdid himself with this schedule. A true road win at St. John’s in an NBA arena. Another hostile, NBA-sized one tonight in Chicago. A close loss only to Purdue — the nation’s No. 1 team and a legitimate title favorite. And next? A trip to Las Vegas for the Player’s Era Festival against Gonzaga, because apparently Alabama has no interest in anything resembling comfort.
This team isn’t hunting cupcakes; it’s hunting credibility. It’s finding it.
Alabama’s depth also shined. Oats built a roster with size — real, functional size — to pair with scorers spread across all five positions. It’s the kind of roster constructed not just to win games, but to win tournaments. You can already see the outlines of a Final Four contender, one capable of playing its way to Indianapolis if the growth curve continues.
Feast Week looms, and the Tide appear eager for seconds in the desert, or even thirds.
Meanwhile, Illinois deserves every ounce of respect for how it battled. Brad Underwood coached with his trademark fire, barking, pacing and coaxing every last drop of effort out of a team that refused to fold even when Alabama threatened to pull away. The Illini’s international standouts repeatedly punched back in the paint, carving out tough buckets and keeping the game tense into the final moments. They forced Alabama to win this one — nothing was given.
In a sport that sometimes avoids heavyweight non-conference clashes, Underwood’s willingness to schedule and host this type of game on the back end of a “neutral site” home and home, with last year’s game in Birmingham, deserves gratitude. It was a November thriller in a pro building, the kind that reminds you college basketball doesn’t need March to feel cinematic.
As Rick Blaine said in Casablanca, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” That’s the Alabama basketball experience so far in 2025-26. The three ball still flies, but it’s Bama’s guard play wearing down even the toughest teams, which stands out.
The Tide walked into Chicago and proved they can win anywhere, against anyone, in any building. A hostile crowd, a tough Big Ten opponent, and another checkmark on a schedule that resembles a Navy SEAL training operation more than a basketball itinerary.
Oh, Nate Oats does that in the offseason with his team, too, by the way.
Philon is becoming a superstar. Bristow is the kind of glue guy teams remember for years. The roster is deep. The coaching is sharp. And the wins are stacking.
Next stop: Vegas. Gonzaga. Bright lights. National stage.
Roll camera. Roll Tide.
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