March 16, 2004
Illinois NCAA Tournament Guide-Notes in PDF Format
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Illinois NCAA Tournament Guide-Bios in PDF Format
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Illinois NCAA Tournament Guide-Recaps in PDF Format
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#13 ILLINOIS (24-6, 13-3)
2004 NCAA Basketball Tournament *1st & 2nd Rounds
#5 Seed * Atlanta Region * March 19 & 21
Columbus, Ohio * Nationwide Arena
Probable Starters ...
F - 40 James Augustine (So., 6-10, 225, 9.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg)
F - 43 Roger Powell (Jr., 6-6, 220, 11.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg)
G - 4 Luther Head (Jr., 6-3, 175, 11.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
G - 5 Deron Williams (So., 6-3, 210, 13.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 6.1 apg)
G - 11 Dee Brown (So., 6-0, 175, 13.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.5 apg)
Off The Bench ...
C - 1 Aaron Spears (Fr.-r, 6-9, 260, 1.2 ppg, 0.6 rpg)
G - 25 Jerrance Howard (Sr.-r, 6-1, 200, 1.2 ppg, 0.4 rpg)
G - 33 Rich McBride (Fr., 6-3, 210, 3.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg)
F - 34 Fred Nkemdi (Jr., 6-6, 235, 0.0 ppg, 0.6 rpg)
F - 41 Warren Carter (Fr., 6-9, 205, 1.3 ppg, 0.6 rpg)
F - 42 Brian Randle (Fr., 6-8, 200, 2.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg)
C - 45 Nick Smith (Jr.-r, 7-2, 240, 7.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
C - 50 Jack Ingram (Jr.-r, 6-10, 240, 2.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
Illinois Head Coach Bruce Weber
Overall Record: 127-60/.679 (6th year)
At Illinois: 24-6/.800 (1st year)
Big Ten: 13-3/.813
NCAA Tournament: 2-2/.500
Assistant Coaches: Chris Lowery (1st year), Wayne McClain (3rd year), Jay Price (1st year)
Assistant to the head coach: Gary Nottingham (1st year)
Trainer: Al Martindale (21st year at Illinois)
Schedule and Results
11-22 Western Illinois W, 94-66 (1-0)
11-26 Mercer W, 93-61 (2-0)
11-29 at Temple (The Palestra) W, 75-60 (3-0)
12-2 vs. #10 North Carolina @ L, 81-88 (3-1)
12-6 vs. Arkansas (Chicago) W, 84-61 (4-1)
12-9 vs. Providence * L, 51-70 (4-2)
12-11 Maryland-Eastern Shore W, 85-43 (5-2)
12-13 Memphis W, 74-64 (6-2)
12-23 vs. #11 Missouri (St. Louis) W, 71-70 (7-2)
12-30 vs. Illinois-Chicago (Chicago) W, 75-60 (8-2)
1-3 Illinois State W, 80-73, OT (9-2)
1-7 Ohio State W, 85-63 (10-2, 1-0)
1-10 #24 Purdue L, 54-58 (10-3, 1-1)
1-14 at Northwestern L, 60-70 (10-4, 1-2)
1-17 Iowa W, 88-82 (11-4, 2-2)
1-21 Penn State W, 80-37 (12-4, 3-2)
1-24 at #21 Wisconsin L, 56-76 (12-5, 3-3)
1-31 Michigan W, 67-52 (13-5, 4-3)
2-3 at Indiana W, 51-49 (14-5, 5-3)
2-8 at Minnesota W, 79-69 (15-5, 6-3)
2-10 Michigan State W, 75-51 (16-5, 7-3)
2-18 #12 Wisconsin W, 65-57 (17-5, 8-3)
2-21 at Penn State W, 66-58 (18-5, 9-3)
2-25 at Iowa W, 78-59 (19-5, 10-3)
2-28 Northwestern W, 66-56 (20-5, 11-3)
3-3 at Purdue W, 81-79, OT (21-5, 12-3)
3-7 at Ohio State W, 64-63 (22-5, 13-3)
3-12 vs. Indiana % W, 71-59 (23-5, 13-3)
3-13 vs. Michigan % W, 74-60 (24-5, 13-3)
3-14 vs. #10 Wisconsin % L, 53-70 (24-6, 13-3)
@ = ACC/Big Ten Challenge (Greensboro, N.C.)
* = Jimmy V Classic (Madison Square Garden)
% = Big Ten Tournament (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Illini Single-Game Bests in NCAA Tournament Play ...
Points: 30, Frank Williams vs. Kansas, 3/21/01
Rebounds: 16, Nick Anderson vs. Syracuse, 3/26/89; 16, Brian Cook vs. Notre Dame, 3/22/03
Field Goal Pct.: .875 (7-8), Lowell Hamilton vs. McNeese State, 3/16/89; .875 (7-8), Deon Thomas vs. Georgetown, 3/18/94
3-Pt FGs: 6, Cory Bradford vs. Arizona, 3/23/01
3-Pt. FG Pct.: .833 (5-6), Frank Williams vs. San Diego St., 3/15/02
Free Throw Pct.: 1.000 (8-8), Kenny Battle vs. McNeese State, 3/16/89; 1.000 (8-8), Mark Smith vs. Wyoming, 3/14/81; 1.000 (7-7), Ken Norman vs. Northeastern, 3/15/85; 1.000 (7-7), Efrem Winters vs. Georgia, 3/17/85
Free Throws: 16, Kiwane Garris vs. Southern Cal, 3/14/97
Free Throw Att.: 17, Kiwane Garris vs. Southern Cal, 3/14/97
Assists: 12, Kiwane Garris vs. Southern Cal, 3/14/97
Steals: 6, Bruce Douglas vs. Georgia, 3/17/85
Blocked Shots: 3, Lowell Hamilton vs. Austin Peay, 3/12/87
* Illinois is making its 24th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, which is the second highest number of Tournament appearances among Big Ten schools trailing only Indiana's 32. This is the fifth-consecutive year Illinois has been in the Tournament, all with Top-5 seeds. Illinois is making its first appearance with Bruce Weber as the head coach, the third-consecutive first-year Illini coach to reach the NCAA Tournament (following Lon Kruger in 1997 and Bill Self in 2001).
* Illinois has compiled a 30-24 (.556) record all-time in NCAA Tournament appearances. Since 1975, when the field was increased to 32 teams, Illinois has advanced to the Sweet 16 six times (1981, 1984, 1985, 1989, 2001 and 2002), the Elite Eight three times (1984, 1989 and 2001) and the Final Four once (1989).
* Illinois has made four appearances in the NCAA Final Four, finishing third in 1949, 1951 and 1952. The Fighting Illini were beaten by Michigan in the national semifinals of the 1989 Final Four.
* Bruce Weber is making his third-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including his last two years at Southern Illinois and his first at Illinois. His all-time NCAA Tournament record as a head coach is 2-2 after leading the Salukis to the 2002 Sweet Sixteen.
* The Illini are 1-2 as a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, losing to Dayton in the 1990 opening round, and defeating South Alabama and losing to Maryland in 1998. Illinois has never played in Columbus during NCAA Tournament play, but is 2-0 in Atlanta should the Illini advance.
* Illinois' series record vs. the Atlanta Region:
2-3 vs. No. 1 Duke
0-0 vs. No. 2 Mississippi State
2-2 vs. No. 3 Texas
1-1 vs. No. 4 Cincinnati
2-3 vs. No. 6 North Carolina
1-0 vs. No. 7 Xavier
3-0 vs. No. 8 Seton Hall
5-6 vs. No. 9 Arizona
2-2 vs. No. 10 Louisville
0-0 vs. No. 11 Air Force
1-0 vs. No. 12 Murray State
0-0 vs. No. 13 East Tennessee State
6-1 vs. No. 14 Princeton
0-0 vs. No. 15 Monmouth
0-0 vs. No. 16 Alabama State
* All-Time Scores vs. Possible 1st and 2nd round opponents:
#12 Murray State (1-0)
3/13/80, W, 65-63, Champaign (NIT)
#4 Cincinnati (1-1)
1/26/63, L, 53-62, Chicago
12/18/84, W, 87-65, Rosemont, Ill.
#13 East Tennessee State (0-0)
First meeting
* Murray State and Illinois are meeting for just the second time ever and for the first time since March 13, 1980 when the Illini posted a 65-63 victory at the Assembly Hall in Champaign during the quarterfinals of the NIT.
* Illinois is 1-1 all-time vs. Cincinnati, although the schools have not met in men's basketball since 1984. The Illini and Bearcats have played twice, once at the Chicago Stadium and once at the former Rosemont Horizon, now call the Allstate Arena.
* Illinois and East Tennessee State have never met in men's basketball.
* Illinois has not met any of its possible first and second round opponents during NCAA Tournament play.
* This is the third straight year (2002, 2003 and 2004) since the NCAA began seeding teams in 1979 that the Big Ten has not had at least a No. 3 seed. Illinois is the highest seeded Big Ten team at No. 5.
* Current members of the Fighting Illini squad have played a total of 25 games in the NCAA Tournament with Luther Head leading the way with five games. Jerrance Howard, Roger Powell and Nick Smith have played in four games, and James Augustine, Dee Brown, Jack Ingram and Deron Williams in two. Ingram made his two appearances at Tulsa as a sophomore in 2002 before transferring to Illinois.
* Illinois competed in postseason play 11 consecutive years from 1980-90, including eight consecutive years (1983-90) in the NCAA Tournament.
* Illinois' all-time leading scorer in NCAA Tournament play is Frank Williams, who tallied 148 points in nine games (16.4 avg.).
* Illinois' all-time leading rebounder in NCAA Tournament play is Brian Cook, who grabbed 74 rebounds in 11 games (6.7 avg.).
* Ken Norman shot .632 (36-57) from the field and .833 (15-18) from the free-throw line in NCAA Tournament competition, the best figures among any Illini who played more than three tournament games.
* Bruce Douglas handed out 55 assists in nine NCAA Tournament games, more than any other Illini player. He dealt out 11 assists in games vs. Kentucky (1984) and Georgia (1985).
* Brian Cook and Sean Harrington both appeared in 11 NCAA Tournament games, more than any other Fighting Illini player.
* Fifteen different Fighting Illini players have recorded double-doubles in NCAA Tournament action on 17 different occasions. The last Illini player to double-double was Brian Cook who had 19 points and 16 rebounds March 22, 2003 against Notre Dame, following a 17-point and 10-rebound performance against Western Kentucky March 20, 2003. Kiwane Garris had 27 points and 12 assists against USC on March 14, 1997 to post the only double-double that didn't include points and rebounds.
Many would say that Nick Anderson's 24-point, 16-rebound performance against Syracuse in 1989 was the finest effort ever by an Illini player in tournament action, since he propelled Illinois into the 1989 Final Four. Anderson was named the Midwest Regional MOP that year. He also had a double-double vs. McNeese State (3/16/89), making him and Cook the only Illini players to twice accomplish that feat.
* The only Fighting Illini players to be named to the Final Four All-Tournament Team were John "Red" Kerr and James Bredar in 1952. They joined Kansas' Clyde Lovellette and Dean Kelley, and St. John's Bob Zawoluk and Ron MacGilvray on that all-star squad. Dike Eddleman (1949) was named to the 1939-40s All-Decade Team.
* Illinois has posted a 4-4 record against the six NCAA Tournament teams it faced this season. Here is a breakdown against this year's tournament field:
12/2/03 vs. North Carolina, L, 81-88
12/9/03 vs. Providence, L, 51-70
12/13/03 Memphis, W, 74-64
12/30/03 vs. Illinois-Chicago, W, 75-60
1/24/04 at Wisconsin, L, 56-76
2/10/04 Michigan State, W, 75-51
2/18/04 Wisconsin, W, 65-57
3/14/04 vs. Wisconsin, L, 53-70
* The floor being used at Nationwide Arena for the First and Second Rounds of the Tournament this weekend is the same Ohio State floor in which Illinois clinched its first outright Big Ten title since 1952 when the Illini defeated the Buckeyes 64-63 March 7 at Value City Arena.
Illini Streaks
* The 64-63 victory over Ohio State on March 7 gives Illinois its first outright Big Ten Conference title since 1952. The dramatic 81-79 overtime victory at Purdue on March 3 clinched a share of the Big Ten Championship, Illinois' third league title in the last four seasons and fourth in the last seven seasons. Illinois won its final 10 games of the regular season, including four of the last five on the road, to claim the title.
* Illinois' 12-game winning streak prior to the Big Ten Tournament Championship game was the longest by any Big Ten team this season. It was also Illinois' longest winning streak since the 1988-89 season when Illinois won its first 17 games. When considering winning streaks started after Jan. 1, the 12-game streak was Illinois' longest since winning 13 straight in 1943.
* Illinois' 10-game conference winning streak is its longest since 1955 and 1956 when the Illini won 13 straight spanning the final three Big Ten games in 1955 and the first 10 Big Ten games in 1956.
* Illinois won its last six Big Ten road games, its longest road winning streak since 1955 and 1956 when the Illini also won six straight spanning the final two Big Ten road games in 1955 and the first four Big Ten road games in 1956.
* A victory at Iowa Feb. 25 marked Illinois' 10th Big Ten win of the season, the fifth-straight year the Illini have reached double figures in conference wins.
* A victory over Northwestern Feb. 28 marked Illinois' 20th win on the year, as the Illini recorded its fifth straight 20-win season, which is also its seventh in the last eight years and 23rd all-time. The current streak of five-straight 20-win seasons is second-best in school history behind nine -consecutive 20-win seasons from 1983-91.
* Illinois went undefeated in the month of February, winning all seven of its games. This marked Illinois' first perfect February in 50 years, since the 1954 Illini also went 7-0 in the month of February.
* Bruce Weber is just the sixth coach in the Big Ten since 1951 (when Michigan State joined the league) to defeat every other conference team in his first season. The other five coaches to accomplish this feat were Indiana's Bob Knight in 1972, Iowa's Tom Davis in 1987, Penn State's Jerry Dunn in 1996, Illinois' Bill Self in 2001 and Wisconsin's Bo Ryan in 2002.
* Illinois is the only Big Ten team this season to defeat all four conference opponents it played just once. This is the third time in seven seasons (since inception of Big Ten Tournament) that the Illini have swept the four "single" games. The previous two times came in 1998 and 2001, when the Illini went on to win shares of the Big Ten title.
Weber Wins Big Ten Title in First Season
With the win over Ohio State on March 7, Bruce Weber's Illini claimed sole possession of the conference title. He becomes just the third Big Ten coach to win an outright league title in his first season along with Wisconsin's Guy Lowman in 1918 and Minnesota's Bill Musselman in 1972.
Weber is the 11th coach in Big Ten history to win at least a share of the conference title in his first season. He is the third Illini rookie coach to win the league, following Doug Mills in 1937 and Bill Self in 2001.
Four Illini Earn All-Big Ten Honors
Four Fighting Illini earned All-Big Ten honors this season by both the coaches and media. Sophomore guard Deron Williams earned First-Team status, sophomore guard Dee Brown was named to the Second-Team, and, sophomore center James Augustine and junior forward Roger Powell both earned Honorable-Mention honors.
Big Ten Tournament Notes...
* Illinois entered the Big Ten Tournament as a No. 1 seed for the second time in tournament history. The Illini also earned the top seed in 2001 after tying Michigan State for the regular-season title.
* Illinois has the most all-time Big Ten Tournament wins (13) and the best all-time Big Ten Tournament winning percentage (.684, 13-6) after advancing to its fourth championship game in seven total tournaments.
* Illinois is the only school to advance to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals in each of the seven tournaments.
* Dee Brown (unanimous) and Deron Williams were both named to the 2004 All-Tournament Team.
* Junior Luther Head scored a career-high 29 points in the quarterfinal win over Indiana.
* For complete Illinois Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament Guide, click on .pdf links at the top of this page.
