On Wednesday, November 20, 2024 (11/20/2024), the No. 25 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team is set to take on the No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide in a highly anticipated college basketball showdown at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. This is a game that has the potential to be a thrilling battle between two strong teams. Streaming options are available for fans to catch all the action. DirecTV Stream offers a free trial, making it accessible for cord cutters. Here's how to tune in on Wednesday: NCAA DI college basketball featuring Illinois @ Alabama. When: Wednesday, November 20, 2024. Where: Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama. Time: 9 p.m. ET. TV: SEC Network. Channel finder: DirecTV, Verizon Fios, Cox, Xfinity, Spectrum, Optimum. Live stream: fuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial), Sling (half off first month), Hulu + Live TV.

Latest College Basketball Story from The Associated Press

Kansas has strengthened its hold on the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25. The rest of the top 10 is in a state of flux, with teams swapping places. The Jayhawks received 49 first-place votes out of a 61-person media panel. No. 2 UConn had seven first-place votes, No. 3 Gonzaga earned two, and No. 4 Auburn three. Iowa State climbed two spots to round out the top five. The shuffling began with No. 8 Alabama's 87-78 loss to No. 6 Purdue, which dropped the Crimson Tide six spots and propelled the Boilermakers up seven. Duke and Arizona's losses further shook up the top 10. The No. 12 Blue Devils dropped six spots after their 77-72 loss to No. 9 Kentucky. The Wildcats climbed 10 spots for their first top-10 ranking this season. Arizona lost 103-88 at No. 19 Wisconsin and fell eight spots to No. 17. The Badgers are ranked for the first time this season. Kansas backed up its win over North Carolina in the season's opening week by beating Michigan State and Oakland last week. UConn continued to dominate in its pursuit of a third straight national championship, blowing out Le Moyne 90-49. Gonzaga crushed UMass Lowell, Auburn rolled over Kent State, and Iowa State beat Kansas City by 26. No. 7 Houston moved up a spot by bouncing back from a 74-69 loss to Auburn with a blowout win over Louisiana-Lafayette.

Building Badgers

Wisconsin had to rebuild its roster after an upset loss to James Madison in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Coach Greg Gard filled the gaps with some solid transfers, but the Badgers were still expected to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten. However, the projections may have been inaccurate. After easily winning three games against smaller conference schools, Wisconsin made waves by defeating Arizona. John Tonje scored 41 points, just two shy of the school record, and the Badgers never trailed in a convincing win over a top-10 team. This victory led to a passionate post-game speech by Gard.

In and out

No. 25 Illinois joined Wisconsin as one of the only teams to enter the top 25. The Illini knocked off Oakland 66-54 last week. Ole Miss dropped out of the top 25 despite beating South Alabama and Colorado State last week. Ohio State fell from No. 21 after its 78-64 loss to No. 23 Texas A&M.

Rising and falling

Arizona had the largest drop, losing eight spots. Alabama and Duke were next, each dropping six places. Kentucky had the biggest jump among teams already in the poll, climbing 10 spots. Purdue was next with a seven-spot increase.

Conference watch

The Southeastern Conference leads the way with seven ranked teams, including No. 11 Tennessee, No. 20 Arkansas, and No. 21 Florida. The Big 12 has six teams in the poll, and the Big Ten has five. The Big East follows with four ranked teams, while the Atlantic Coast Conference has two and the West Coast Conference has one.