What we learned as No. 11 Alabama held off No. 8 Illinois at the United Center
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CHICAGO - The Illini already had a solid first test against Texas Tech. They passed that early assessment, but the Crimson Tide offered a different test.
The quick-paced Nate Oats’ offense was going to be tough to keep up with. Illinois basketball showed what made it special, but couldn't close the gap any further.
The Crimson Tide held off Illinois 90-86 in Chicago.
Here are our observations from the Illini’s loss against the Tide at the United Center on Wednesday.
Mirkovic is a problem
The Illini have David Mirkovic as a freshman who is 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds.
He did not play like a 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward.
Mirkovic was active on the glass and displayed a nice touch from beyond the arc. He also had three steals and recorded a double-double.
There aren’t many players who have the kind of speed, shooting touch and physicality in the post that Mirkovic has. The Illini will love his presence come Big Ten play, especially considering how he's recorded a double-double in every game he's played except for one so far.
Stojakvoic has a limitless offensive bag
At a certain point, Andrej Stojakovic became the Illinois offense. This isn’t a bad thing, either.
When a single player becomes the offense, that turns things one-dimensional. Stojakovic is anything but one-dimensional.
Stojakovic’s offensive bag is so deep, it’s a wonder where he’ll shoot from on the court. What’s more impressive is how Stojakovic has clearly practiced the wide range of shots: 3-pointers, turn-around jumpers and contested layups. There aren’t many shots that are considered bad shots for Stojakovic.
If he has one Achilles’ heel, it’s his free-throw shooting. He missed three free throws. Those free throws would have had the game tied with 3:21 to go.
Stojakovic still finished with 26 points on the evening. He's an elite scoring player who can create his own shot from anywhere, which is something the Illini haven't had in a long time.
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Petrovic is fearless
Mihailo Petrovic was cleared by the NCAA just before the season began. However, he made his season debut against the Tide.
In a top-15 game, the Serbian guard took the floor and immediately hit a 3-pointer.
He played 12 minutes in his first-career games with the Illini. While it might take some time to shake some of the rust off, that fearlessness is something that’s rare.
Humrichous provides the dirty plays
While Stojakovic was the offensive catalyst, the experienced Ben Humrichous was someone who helped set up that offense.
He had six rebounds, two blocks and one steal on the evening. While he only made three field goals, all 3-pointers, he got his hands dirty elsewhere on the floor. That opened up the offense elsewhere and gave the Illini a player they could turn to on the defensive end.
Underwood can look to Humrichous for some of those kinds of plays. His size also allows the Illini to have size deep in their bench. Humrichous is a player that compliments the Ivisic twins and Mirkovic well.
If he's more consistent with his shot, that will only help. But, his skills away from the ball are what make him an asset to this Illinois team.
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But, the Illini didn’t pass this test
At the start of the second half, the Illini fell behind Alabama after the Tide went on a quick 7-4 run to take the lead.
The Illini trailed by eight with 11 minutes to go in the game. This is the danger zone, especially against a team that can score in bunches as quickly as the Tide can.
This was a big early-season test for Illinois.
The Illini hunkered down, though. They trusted Stojakovic to cut the lead. They trusted the defense to make stops. They did and cut the Alabama lead to just two with 6:35 left in the game. Alabama responded with a three down on the other end, though.
Still, there was one aspect where the Illini needed to be better at.
The Illini allowed 12 second-chance points. They also struggled at the free-throw line. Illinois needed to take the freebies when they were there and kept Alabama from getting multiple looks at the basket. The Tide offense can’t be stopped, only slowed down.
Alabama played its game better than Illinois did. Still, Underwood's team only lost by four in a game where they missed nine free throws.
That's a lesson the Illini can hold on to for future tests like this, which are undoubtedly coming for this team.