March 22, 2005

Illinois-NCAA Tournament Regional Postseason Guide in PDF Format
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#1 ILLINOIS (34-1, 15-1, Big Ten Champions)
2005 NCAA Basketball Tournament-Regional
#1 Seed • Chicago Region • March 24 & 26
Rosemont, Ill. • Allstate Arena (17,500)

Probable Starters
F - 43 Roger Powell, Jr. (Sr., 6-6, 235, 11.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
F - 40 James Augustine (Jr., 6-10, 230, 10.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.3 bpg)
G - 4 Luther Head (Sr., 6-3, 185, 15.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.8 apg)
G - 5 Deron Williams (Jr., 6-3, 210, 12.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 6.6 apg)
G - 11 Dee Brown (Jr., 6-0, 185, 13.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.5 apg)

Off The Bench
G - 33 Rich McBride (So., 6-3, 215, 2.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg)
F - 41 Warren Carter (So., 6-9, 210, 2.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg)
C - 45 Nick Smith (Sr.-r, 7-2, 250, 3.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
C/F - 50 Jack Ingram (Sr.-r, 6-10, 245, 4.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg)
F - 55 Shaun Pruitt (Fr., 6-8, 245, 1.4 ppg, 0.9 rpg)

Injured
G - 15 Calvin Brock (Fr., 6-4, 185, plans to redshirt)
F - 34 Fred Nkemdi (Sr., 6-5, 235, 0.7 ppg, 0.3 rpg)
F - 42 Brian Randle (So., 6-7, 210, 1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg in 2003-04)

Illinois Head Coach Bruce Weber
Overall Record: 163-62/.724 (7th Year)
At Illinois: 60-8/.882 (2nd Year)
Big Ten: 28-4/.875
NCAA Tournament: 6-3/.667

Assistant Coaches: Wayne McClain (4th Year), Jay Price (2nd Year), Tracy Webster (1st year)
Assistant to the Head Coach: Gary Nottingham (2nd Year)
Trainer: Al Martindale (2nd Year; 22nd Year at Illinois)

Television
CBS - National: Dick Enberg, play-by-play; Jay Bilas, expert analyst; Armen Keteyian, sideline reporter.

Radio
Illini Sports Network - 47 stations: Brian Barnhart, play-by-play; Stephen Bardo, expert analyst; Loren Tate, pregame/ halftime/postgame interviews.
Westwood One - National: Kevin Harlan, play-by-play; John Thompson, expert analyst.

The Illini in The NCAA Tournament
Illini Single-Game Bests in NCAA Tournament Play ...

Points           31, Deron Williams vs. Cincinnati, 3/21/04
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
                 6, Deron Williams vs. Cincinnati, 3/21/04
3-Pt. FG Pct.    .833 (5-6), Frank Williams vs. San Diego St., 3/15/02
Free Throw Pct.  1.000 (8-8), Mark Smith vs. Wyoming, 3/14/81
                 1.000 (8-8), Kenny Battle vs. McNeese State, 3/16/89
                 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 fourth Sweet 16 appearnace in the last five years (2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005).

• Illinois has received a No. 1 seed for the third time in school history. Illinois was a No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region in 1989 and went on to advance to the Final Four in Seattle. Illinois last earned a No. 1 seed in 2001 in the Midwest Region, when it advanced to the Elite Eight in San Antonio. The Illini are 9-2 (.818) all-time as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

• Illinois is making its 25th 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 sixth-consecutive year Illinois has been in the Tournament, all with Top-5 seeds.

• Illinois has compiled a 34-25 (.576) record all-time in NCAA Tournament appearances. Since 1975, when the field was increased to 32 teams, Illinois has advanced to the Sweet 16 eight times (1981, 1984, 1985, 1989, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005), 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 fourth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, which includes his last two years at Southern Illinois and his first two seasons at Illinois. His all-time NCAA Tournament record as a head coach is 6-3 (.667) after leading the Salukis to the 2002 Sweet 16 and the Illini to the Sweet 16 in 2004 and 2005.

• Illinois is 4-0 all-time in Chicago during NCAA Tournament play. The Illini defeated Dayton and Duquesne in the 1952 NCAA Tournament (Mideast Regional), held at Chicago Stadium, and most recently defeated San Diego State in the first round and Creighton in the second round of the 2002 NCAA Tournament, held at the United Center.

• Illinois' all-time series record vs. the Sweet 16:

Chicago Regional
	2-0 vs. No. 12 Wisconsin-Milwaukee
	2-1 vs. No. 2 Oklahoma State
	5-6 vs. No. 3 Arizona
Albuquerque Regional
	2-3 vs. No. 1 Washington
	2-2 vs. No. 4 Louisville
	0-0 vs. No. 6 Texas Tech
	3-1 vs. No. 7 West Virginia
Syracuse Regional
	2-3 vs. No. 1 North Carolina
	3-3 vs. No. 5 Villanova
	105-68 vs. No. 6 Wisconsin
	3-0 vs. No. 10 North Carolina State
Austin Regional
	2-4 vs. No. 1 Duke
	50-47 vs. No. 5 Michigan State
	1-1 vs. No. 6 Utah
	4-11 vs. No. 2 Kentucky

• All-Time Scores vs. Possible Chicago Regional opponents:

#12 Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2-0)
    12-3-90    120-116   W   Champaign (2OT)
    12-6-00    85-44     W   Champaign
#2 Oklahoma State (2-1)
    3-27-51    61-46     W   Minneapolis
    12-21-53   60-65     L   Champaign (OT)
    12-11-54   59-53     W   Stillwater, Okla.
#3 Arizona (5-6)
    12-27-66   93-77     W   Los Angeles
    11-30-73   80-101    L   Tucson, Ariz.
    12-13-74   66-78     L   Tucson, Ariz.
    12-20-75   66-60     W   Champaign
    11-28-77   113-107   W   Champaign
    1-24-87    82-63     W   Champaign
    1-30-88    70-78     L   Tucson, Ariz.
    11-22-00   76-79     L   Maui, Hawaii
    12-16-00   81-73     W   Chicago
    3-25-01    81-87     L   San Antonio
    12-4-01    82-87     L   Phoenix

• Illinois has posted a 15-0 record against the 11 NCAA Tournament teams it faced this season. Here is a breakdown against this year's tournament field:

	11/19/04    Delaware State, W, 87-67
	11/24/04    Oakland, W, 85-54
	11/27/04    vs. Gonzaga, W, 89-72
	12/1/04     Wake Forest, W, 91-73
	12/31/04    vs. Cincinnati, W, 67-45
	1/20/05     Iowa, W, 73-68 (OT)
	1/25/05     at Wisconsin, W, 75-65
	1/29/05     Minnesota, W, 89-66
	2/1/05      at Michigan State, W, 81-68
	2/12/05     Wisconsin, W, 70-59
	2/19/05     at Iowa, W, 75-65
	3/12/05     vs. Minnesota, W, 64-56
	3/13/05     vs. Wisconsin, W, 54-43
	3/17/05     vs. Farleigh Dickinson, W, 67-55
	3/19/05     vs. Nevada, W, 71-59

• Illinois/UWM Connections: This is just the third meeting all-time between Illinois and Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but there are a number of family connections between the two schools. UWM is the alma mater of Illini Coach Bruce Weber ('78), as well as Coach Weber's brother Ron. Another of Coach Weber's brothers, David, attended UWM and played basketball there before transferring to Weber State. Weber's late sister, Carrie, also attended UWM but was in a fatal car accident prior to her senior year ...The uncle of Illini junior James Augustine, Jerry Augustine, is the head baseball coach at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

• Current members of the Fighting Illini squad have played a total of 69 games in the NCAA Tournament with Luther Head leading the way with 10 games. Roger Powell and Nick Smith have played in nine games, while James Augustine, Dee Brown, Jack Ingram and Deron Williams have played in seven games. In addition to his five NCAA games with the Illini, Ingram made two appearances at Tulsa as a sophomore in 2002 before transferring to Illinois. Rounding out the Illini roster, Rich McBride has played in five games, Warren Carter in four, Brian Randle in two, and Shaun Pruitt and Fred Nkemdi in one.

• 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. Luther Head will tie this mark on Thursday vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukke, making his 11th NCAA Tournament appearance.

• Seventeen different Fighting Illini players have recorded double-doubles in NCAA Tournament action on 20 different occasions. James Augustine had a pair of double-doubles last weekend, recording 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds vs. Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round, and a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds vs. Nevada in the second round. Deron Williams also recorded a double-double vs. Nevada, tallying 15 points and 10 assists. Williams and Kiwane Garris (27 points and 12 assists vs. USC on March 14, 1997) are the only two Illini players to post double-doubles 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.

Brown and Weber Earn Sporting News National Awards
Dee Brown has been named National Player of the Year by The Sporting News, while the magazine has also tabbed Bruce Weber as its National Coach of the Year, the publication announced on Tuesday.

Brown, the Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-American by the USBWA, SI.com and CBS Sportsline.com, is averaging 13.2 points with 26 games in double figures. He leads the Big Ten in 3-point field goal shooting at 44.6 percent, while ranking second in the conference with 87 three-pointers. Brown leads the Illini with 61 steals and is averaging 4.5 assists to rank third in the Big Ten.

Weber has guided the Illini to a school-record 34 wins this season, both the regular season Big Ten championship as well as the tournament title, and to the NCAA Sweet 16. The Illini have been ranked No. 1 for 15 straight weeks and are the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Illini in the NCAA Tournament - Recapping the 1st & 2nd Rounds
• Illinois advanced to its fourth NCAA Sweet 16 in the last five years after a successful weekend in Indianapolis which featured a 67-55 win over Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round followed by a 71-59 victory over Nevada in the second round.
• Dee Brown scored 19 points on 7-10 shooting, Luther Head had 13 points, and James Augustine had a double-double with 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds to lead the Illini over Fairleigh Dickinson.
• Augustine was one of four Illini to reach double figures, exploding for a career-high 23 points on 9-11 shooting, in the win over Nevada. He also had 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.
• Deron Williams had 15 points and 10 assists to also notch a double-double against Nevada, while Luther Head had 14 and Jack Ingram came off the bench to score a career-high 12 points on 6-7 shooting.
• Illinois' defense was suffocating during the first two rounds, allowing an average of just 57 points and 38.7 shooting by its two opponents.
• James Augustine averaged 17 points and 12.5 rebounds and shot 68.8 percent (11-16) in the two wins.
• The Illini trailed for just 15 seconds out of 80 total minutes during the first and second rounds. Illinois' lone deficit during the weekend came when it fell behind Fairleigh Dickinson 20-19 at the 7:26 mark of the first half, before taking the lead back for good at 21-20 with 7:11 left. The Illini never trailed against Nevada.
• The attendance at the RCA Dome on Saturday for Illinois' game vs. Nevada (and the Kentucky-Cincinnati game that followed) totaled 40,331, setting an NCAA Tournament attendance record for the First or Second Round.

Weber wins Henry Iba Award
Head Coach Bruce Weber has been named the winner of the 2005 Henry Iba Award, presented annually by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association to the national college basketball coach of the year. Weber becomes the first Illinois coach to receive the award since the USBWA began selecting a coach of the year in 1959.

Weber will be presented the Iba Award at a breakfast during the NCAA Final Four weekend on April 1 at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.

Illini Continue to Climb Chart for Most Wins in a Season; Set Big Ten Record for Winningest Season
According to NCAA records that date back to 1938, Illinois is the 25th team in Div. I history to record at least 34 wins in a season. Among those previous 24 teams, 10 squads went on to win the NCAA Championship.

The NCAA record for wins in a season is 37, which has been accomplished by three teams: Duke in 1986 (37-3) and 1999 (37-2) and UNLV in 1987 (37-2). Following is the breakdown of the number of teams to reach victory-totals of 34 through 37 wins in a season:

   Win Total   No. of Teams    Most Recent Team, Year
      37            3          Duke, 1999
      36            1          Kentucky, 1948
      35            10         Duke, 2001
      34            11         Illinois, 2005

Illini Secure Winningest Season in School History
With its 34 victories, Illinois has set a school record for wins in a season. The previous Illini record was 31 wins, set by the 1988-89 Flyin' Illini squad which advanced to the NCAA Final Four and finished the year with a record of 31-5. Following are the winningest seasons in school history, in terms of total wins:

  Rank   Season    Wins   Record
   1.    2004-05    34    34-1 (.971)
   2.    1988-89    31    31-5 (.861)
   3.    2000-01    27    27-8 (.771)
   T4.   2003-04    26    26-7 (.788)
   T4.   2001-02    26    26-9 (.743)
   T4.   1984-85    26    26-9 (.743)
   T4.   1983-84    26    26-5 (.838)
   8.    2002-03    25    25-7 (.781)

Brown Named USBWA First-Team All-American; Head named to Second Team
Illinois had two players recognized on the 2005 U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-America Teams. Dee Brown was selected to the 5-player first team, while Luther Head was named to the 5-player second team.

Brown is joined on the first team by Utah's Andrew Bogut, Wake Forest's Chris Paul, Duke's J.J. Redick and Kansas' Wayne Simien.

Joining head on the second team are Arizona State's Ike Diogu, North Carolina's Sean May, Arizona's Salim Stoudamaire and Syracuse's Hakim Warrick.

Illini Guards All Named Second-Team All-Americans by NABC
Illinois' entire starting backcourt was voted to the All-America Second Team as selected by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, with Deron Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head all receiving recognition. The NABC picks a 5-player first team, second team and third team, with 15 total players receiving All-America honors. Illinois was the only school to have multiple players named to the NABC All-America Teams.

Illini Ranked No. 1 in Final Associated Press Poll
For just the third year in school history - and for the 15th straight week - Illinois is the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. The Illini's 15 consecutive weeks at No. 1 is the longest streak by any team in eight years, since Kansas owned the top spot for the final 15 weeks of the 1996-97 season.

The Illini were unanimously voted No. 1 in the poll released on March 14, which is the final AP poll of the season. This is the first time in school history that the Illini have been ranked No. 1 in the final AP poll. Previously, Illinois' best final ranking was No. 2 in 1952. The Illini are also the first Big Ten team to be ranked No. 1 in the final AP poll since Indiana in 1993.

This has been the first season in school history that the Illini have been ranked first for more than one week. Prior to this season, the last time Illinois was ranked No. 1 was the week of Jan. 23-29, 1989. The UI first appeared No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for a week during the final week of the regular season in January, 1952. In each of the previous two seasons when the Illini achieved a No. 1 ranking, they went on to advance to the NCAA Final Four.

Augustine Big Ten Tournament MOP; Head named to All-Tournament Team
Junior James Augustine was a consistent force in leading the Illini to the Big Ten Tournament title. For his efforts, he was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Augustine averaged a double-double of 12.7 points and 10.3 rebounds while shooting 73.7 percent from the field (14-19). He led the Illini in scoring against Northwestern, totaling 15 points with eight boards. He recorded a double-double in the quarterfinals vs. Minnesota with 11 points and 14 rebounds. He finished with 12 points, nine boards and three blocks in the title game vs. Wisconsin.

Luther Head earned All-Tournament Team honors after leading the Illini with 40 points (13.3 avg). He also averaged 5.7 rebounds and had 11 assists on the weekend. Head had 14 points vs. Northwestern, a team-high 14 vs. Minnesota and 12 vs. Wisconsin.

Brown Sweeps Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Honors
Junior Dee Brown was named Big Ten Player of the Year by both the coaches and the media on March 8, and was also honored as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year by the league coaches. Brown is the third Illini player in the last five years to be chosen as the Big Ten Player of the Year, joining Frank Williams (2001) and Brian Cook (2003). He is only the third UI player ever to be named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, joining Bruce Douglas (1985 and 1986) and Stephen Bardo (1989).

Brown has pulled off a rare feat by sweeping both awards this year. He is just the third Big Ten player since the conference began honoring a defensive player of the year in 1984 to be named both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, joining Michigan's Gary Grant (1988) and Minnesota's Bobby Jackson (1997).

Illinois' Three Guards Named First-Team All-Big Ten
Illinois had three players named to the 5-player All-Big Ten first team (coaches and media) announced on March 8 in junior Dee Brown, senior Luther Head and junior Deron Williams. The Illini backcourt trio has joined exclusive company by earning first-team accolades. This marks the first time since 1975, and just the fifth time since World War II, that at least three players from the same team have been placed on the All-Big Ten first team. It is the third time in school history that it has happened. Paul Judson, George Bon Salle and Bill Ridley all earned first-team recognition for the Illini in 1956, while Gene Vance, Jack Smiley and Art Mathisen were the first UI trio to accomplish the feat in 1943.

This is the second straight first-team All-Big Ten selection for Williams. He becomes the first Illini player since Frank Williams in 2001 and 2002 to make the first team in consecutive seasons.

Weber Named Big Ten Coach of the Year
Bruce Weber was honored by the media for directing Illinois' outstanding season by being named the 2005 Big Ten Coach of the Year. Weber is just the second Illini coach to ever earn the honor. Since the award began in 1973, Lou Henson was the school's only other honoree, in 1993. Under the direction of Weber this season, the Illini have won a school-record 34 games, which included 29 straight wins to start the year, tying the 12th best start in NCAA Div. I history and the third best start in Big Ten history. Illinois won its second straight outright Big Ten championship this year with a 15-1 league record, tying the best record since the conference went to a 16-game schedule in 1998. Along with last year's conference championship, Weber is now the first coach in the 100-year history of Big Ten basketball to win consecutive outright titles in each of his first two seasons.

Illini Nation's Second Winningest Team over Past Five Seasons
Illinois ranks as the second-winningest team in the nation over the past five seasons in terms of total wins, and ranks third nationally over that same time span in terms of winning percentage. Illinois has reeled off 138 victories since the beginning of the 2000-01 season, which trails only Duke. Illinois' .810 winning percentage over the same time period trails just Duke and Gonzaga. Following is a list of the five winningest teams (ranked by total wins) over the past five years:

  Rank   School     Wins   Record   Pct.
   1.    Duke       150    150-26   .852
   2.    ILLINOIS   138    138-32   .812
   3.    Kansas     136    136-35   .795
   4.    Gonzaga    133    133-28   .826
   5.    Kentucky   132    132-33   .800

*For the complete Illinois Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament Regional Postseason Guide, click on the .pdf link at the top of this page.