Fifth-year guard Mark Sears, a consensus second-team All-America selection last season who led the No. 7 Crimson Tide to their first Final Four appearance, was held scoreless throughout the entirety of the game. He also sat for all but eight minutes in the ...

That changes when Illinois travels to Birmingham to face Alabama on Wednesday. In a matchup featuring two of the best offenses in the country, the Tide offer the Illini their first opportunity to prove themselves as a true top-25-level power.