College Basketball Preview: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Illinois Fighting Illini – Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024

The C.M. Newton Classic will showcase the 25th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini (3-0), taking on the eighth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (3-1) on Wednesday, November 20, at 9:00 PM ET. This college basketball betting opportunity will take place at the Legacy Arena at BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama, where the Crimson Tide are favored with a point spread at -7.5 (-120).

Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Preview

The Fighting Illini are undefeated through their first three games and have impressed enough to join the Top 25 rankings. Their latest win was a 66-54 outing over the Oakland Golden Grizzlies.

This was a close matchup, but they had some key players step up big to keep them undefeated. Tomislav Ivisic led with 20 points and sex rebounds, while Tre White led with three assists.

One area of concern in this matchup was the amount of turnovers. While they forced the Golden Grizzlies to have 18, they too also had 18. This severely damaged their momentum, which is something that cannot happen against the Crimson Tide.

The Fighting Illini are defeating teams by nearly 30 points on average. They are averaging 89.3 points per game and allowing their opponents to earn 59.7 points each contest. This is a comfortable spread to have, but this will likely shrink tremendously in the upcoming matchup.

Alabama Crimson Tide Betting Preview

The Crimson Tide recently had a disappointing loss against the previously 13th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers. The first half of action was close, but the second half had moments of breakdowns defensively for the Crimson Tide.

Labaron Philon led the team with 18 points on seven for 10 shooting from the field. Veteran guard Mark Sears led with six assists, but had four turnovers in a lackluster performance. They cannot afford to have veteran players make these mistakes.

Their shooting from the field was not the end of the world, as they landed 44.4 percent of their shots and 31.0 percent of their three-pointers. As for turnovers, they accumulated eight and only forced the Boilermakers to have just three.

The Crimson Tide are averaging 87.0 points a game while allowing 71.0 points. This is not as appealing as the spread currently held by the Fighting Illini, but it still shows they can score and play well enough defensively.

Odds, Series Trends, and Free Pick

MyBookie offers the college basketball betting odds in the upcoming Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Alabama Crimson Tide showcase. Current odds reveal the Crimson Tide are 7.5-point favorites. According to market trends, the Crimson Tide have a 60.6 percent likelihood of winning this matchup.

The Fighting Illini have a solid chance of winning. However, the Crimson Tide will be tougher to defeat in their home ready.

Final Pick: Alabama Crimson Tide -7.5 (-120)