The 3-pointer: Takeaways from no. 8, Alabama’s win over No. 25 Illinois

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – That was the kind of start Alabama needed. The Crimson Tide tore the roof off Legacy Arena and hyped up the Tide fans who traveled to Birmingham with a 3-point barrage that set the Tide up for success in a 100-87 victory over Illinois.

Illinois did not go down quietly. The Fighting Illini made runs in the second half to put a dent in the Tide’s lead. Illinois beat Alabama on the glass and matched its scoring record in the field. But the Tide didn’t turn after taking a big lead early, or when key players ran into foul trouble in the second half and with Alabama’s best player largely a non-factor all game.

Here are three takeaways from Alabama’s game against Illinois.

Alabama led by 14 at halftime. It scored 52 points in a strong opening period against a top-25 team and carried that momentum into the second half to secure a comfortable win over a Power Four foe.

Still, Alabama’s best player wasn’t responsible for a single point.

Mark Sears was the only player not to score in Alabama’s blowout win. It was the first time he has been held scoreless since November 27, 2020, in his freshman season at Ohio. Coincidentally, that game was also against Illinois.

The bright orange Illini uniforms may be the only kryptonite to Sears’ talent. But the Tide’s ability to create offense without having to rely on its best player to do so was impressive, especially considering the opposition. Illinois ranks No. 4 in the nation in opponent effective field goal percentage and has a lot of length at every position on defense.

In place of Sears, Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway carried the offensive load for Alabama. Both guards found their groove early, while Philon continues to be on fire to start the season. He finished with 16 points, six rebounds and eight assists. He took over Sear’s role as Alabama’s lead point guard in both the scoring and playmaking departments.

Holloway had his best game in an Alabama uniform. After a few games with ineffective shooting splits, he made 6 of 7 attempts from the field and drilled all of his 3-point attempts to finish with 18 points and an assist.

Alabama’s excellent offensive showing despite Sears being limited is also a credit to the Tide’s ability to control the ball. Alabama had just seven turnovers in the win compared to Illinois’ 13. The Tide was excellent running out in transition, scoring 19 fast break points. Alabama played directly and deliberately on its possessions. There was plenty of off-ball movement to create space in Illinois’ defense, creating more open looks for the Tide shooters.

If there was one player who set the tone for Alabama, it was Nelson. The North Dakota State transfer started the Tide’s hot shooting night with three straight 3-pointers, not bad for a player who shot just 27.3% from deep last season.

The marks fired up the overwhelming pro-Alabama crowd inside Legacy Arena and set off a dominant performance for the veteran Tide forward. Nelson finished with 28 points and eight rebounds. He also provided solid coverage on defense in the post against Illinois’ forwards and had four blocks operating at both the power forward and center positions.

Nelson had a quieter second half, but his performance continues an excellent start to the season for the talented fifth-year forward. Nelson has finished in double figures in each of Alabama’s last three games. He has increased his 3-point shooting percentage from a year ago and looks much more comfortable at the power forward spot with Alabama.

Oats took ownership for not playing Sherrell in Alabama’s loss to Purdue. The rookie forward played just two minutes and picked up a couple of fouls in the first half before sitting out the rest of the game.

During his press conference Tuesday, Oats promised Sherrell would see more minutes against Illinois, and he delivered on that promise. Sherrell rewarded his coach’s faith as he finished with seven points, four rebounds, two steals and a plus-eight box plus-minus rating.

Sherrell didn’t just get minutes, but crucial minutes in the second half after Clifford Omoruyi picked up his fourth foul with over 17 minutes left in the game. That forced Oats to sit the Rutgers transfer for the majority of the second half.

But Sherrell provided excellent coverage defensively. Sherrell helped the Tide maintain a steady presence on the field defensively and weather the storm as Illinois tried to mount a comeback. He showed off his excellent ability on both ends of the floor in the second half, including hitting a 3 and catching a lob on an excellent pick-and-roll action with Sears.