March 29, 2005
Illinois-NCAA Tournament Final Four Postseason Guide in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
#1 ILLINOIS (36-1, 15-1, Big Ten Champions)
2005 NCAA Basketball Tournament-Final Four
#1 Seed • Chicago Regional Champions
April 2 & 4 •St. Louis, Mo. • Edward Jones Dome (46,469)
Probable Starters
F - 43 Roger Powell, Jr. (Sr., 6-6, 235, 11.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
F - 40 James Augustine (Jr., 6-10, 230, 10.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.2 bpg)
G - 4 Luther Head (Sr., 6-3, 185, 15.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.8 apg)
G - 5 Deron Williams (Jr., 6-3, 210, 12.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 6.7 apg)
G - 11 Dee Brown (Jr., 6-0, 185, 13.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.5 apg)
Off The Bench
G - 33 Rich McBride (So., 6-3, 215, 2.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg)
F - 41 Warren Carter (So., 6-9, 210, 2.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg)
C - 45 Nick Smith (Sr.-r, 7-2, 250, 3.4 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: 165-62/.727 (7th Year)
At Illinois: 62-8/.886 (2nd Year)
Big Ten: 28-4/.875
NCAA Tournament: 8-3/.727
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: Jim Nantz, play-by-play; Billy Packer, expert analyst; Armen Keteyian & Bonnie Bernstein, courtside reporters.
Radio
Illini Sports Network - 51 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 & Bill Raftery, expert analysts; Jim Gray, courtside reporter.
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
• This is Illinois' fifth appearance in the NCAA Final Four, and its first since 1989. Illinois finished third in 1949, 1951 and 1952, and were most recently beaten by Michigan in the national semifinals in 1989. Following is Illinois' all-time results in the Final Four:
1949 Eastern Playoffs (at New York)
Kentucky 56, Illinois 47
Final Playoffs (at Seattle)
Illinois 57, Oregon State 53 (third place)
1951 Eastern Playoffs (at New York)
Kentucky 76, Illinois 74
Final Playoffs (at Minneapolis)
Illinois 61, Oklahoma A&M 46 (third place)
1952 Final Playoffs (at Seattle)
St. John's 61, Illinois 59
Illinois 67, Santa Clara 64 (third place)
1989 Final Four (at Seattle)
#3 Michigan 83, #1 Illinois 81
• This is the seventh time in NCAA Tournament history that the Big Ten has had two teams in the Final Four. The last time was in 2000, when Michigan State and Wisconsin both reached the Final Four, with the Spartans going on to win the title. Below is the list of times that the conference has had two teams in the Final Four (teams underlined went on to win the national championship):
1976 - Indiana and Michigan
1980 - Iowa and Purdue
1989 - Michigan and Illinois
1992 - Michigan and Indiana
1999 - Michigan State and Ohio State
2000 - Michigan State and Wisconsin
2005 - Illinois and Michigan State
• This is Illinois' first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in St. Louis, but the Illini are very familiar with the Gateway to the West. The Illini face Missouri in the "Braggin' Rights" game, played annually in December at the Savvis Center, and lead the Tigers 16-8 in games played at St. Louis. Illinois has also made one appearance at the Edward Jones Dome, facing St. Louis University at the then-TWA Dome on Dec. 6, 1997. The Illini lost that game by the score of 57-51.
• Illinois is 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 10-2 (.833) 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 36-25 (.590) 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 four times (1984, 1989, 2001 and 2005) and the Final Four twice (1989 and 2005).
• 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 8-3 (.727) after leading the Salukis to the 2002 Sweet 16, the Illini to the Sweet 16 last season, and this year's UI squad to the Final Four.
• Illinois' all-time series record vs. the Final Four:
2-2 vs. No. 4 Seed Louisville
2-3 vs. No. 1 Seed North Carolina
50-47 vs. No. 5 Seed Michigan State
• All-Time Scores vs. Possible Final Four opponents:
#4 Louisville (2-2)
12-29-79 77-64 W Honolulu
3-24-89 83-69 W Minneapolis
11-30-96 60-70 L Hilo, Hawaii
11-28-97 57-58 L Bayamon, P.R.
#1 North Carolina (2-3)
12-20-51 86-66 W Champaign
12-20-86 77-90 L Chapel Hill
12-19-87 74-85 L Champaign
12-3-02 92-65 W Champaign
12-2-03 81-88 L Greensboro, N.C.
#5 Michigan State (50-47)
3-5-51 49-43 W East Lansing
2-11-52 84-62 W Champaign
1-29-53 76-64 W East Lansing
3-2-53 66-53 W Champaign
1-9-54 59-60 L East Lansing
2-14-55 90-72 W Champaign
1-2-56 73-65 W Champaign
2-18-56 96-76 W East Lansing
2-9-57 64-70 L East Lansing
2-18-57 83-89 L Champaign
2-15-58 56-69 L East Lansing
1-10-59 96-97 L Champaign
1-16-60 96-88 W Champaign
2-8-60 77-78 L East Lansing
1-30-61 93-92 W Champaign
2-20-61 80-90 L East Lansing
1-13-62 66-65 W East Lansing
2-9-63 91-86 W Champaign
1-4-64 87-66 W Champaign
2-17-64 82-85 L East Lansing
2-20-65 113-94 W East Lansing
3-9-65 121-89 W Champaign
2-22-66 66-68 L East Lansing
1-7-67 74-76 L Champaign
1-6-68 66-56 W Champaign
3-9-68 59-62 L East Lansing
2-15-69 70-75 L East Lansing
3-4-69 71-57 W Champaign
12-29-69 86-77 W Portland, Ore.
2-24-70 74-67 W East Lansing
3-7-70 76-81 L Champaign
1-9-71 89-61 W Champaign
1-16-71 69-67 W East Lansing
2-8-72 79-89 L East Lansing
2-24-73 81-71 W Champaign
1-14-74 82-90 L Champaign
1-28-74 82-93 L East Lansing
2-1-75 60-75 L Champaign
3-1-75 82-96 L East Lansing
1-24-76 63-74 L Champaign
2-21-76 59-69 L East Lansing
1-20-77 58-67 L East Lansing
3-5-77 61-62 L Champaign
1-12-78 70-82 L Champaign
2-25-78 67-89 L East Lansing
1-11-79 57-55 W Champaign
2-24-79 62-76 L East Lansing
1-26-80 74-65 W Champaign
2-2-80 59-68 L East Lansing
1-29-81 71-70 W East Lansing
2-21-81 82-62 W Champaign
1-16-82 55-51 W Champaign
2-25-82 47-56 L East Lansing
1-27-83 78-71 W East Lansing
2-19-83 69-61 W Champaign
1-26-84 46-40 W Champaign
2-19-84 70-53 W East Lansing
1-12-85 75-63 W Champaign
2-7-85 56-64 L East Lansing
1-12-86 51-58 L East Lansing
2-6-86 80-84 L Champaign
1-5-87 79-72 W Champaign
3-7-87 77-64 W East Lansing
1-9-88 77-62 W Champaign
2-13-88 83-65 W East Lansing
1-7-89 71-54 W Champaign
2-16-89 75-56 W East Lansing
1-18-90 73-64 W Champaign
2-17-90 63-70 L East Lansing
1-17-91 68-71 L Champaign
2-16-91 58-62 L East Lansing
1-11-92 75-77 L East Lansing
3-7-92 80-71 W Champaign
1-9-93 52-39 W East Lansing
2-10-93 83-80 W Champaign
1-8-94 74-79 L East Lansing
2-9-94 72-64 W Champaign
1-28-95 67-75 L Champaign
2-15-95 58-68 L East Lansing
1-6-96 58-68 L Champaign
3-6-96 67-77 L East Lansing
1-22-97 66-63 W East Lansing
2-15-97 79-68 W Champaign
1-17-98 64-68 L East Lansing
2-12-98 84-63 W Champaign
1-16-99 49-51 L Champaign
2-11-99 44-61 L East Lansing
3-7-99 50-67 L Chicago
1-30-00 66-91 L East Lansing
3-12-00 61-76 L Chicago
2-6-01 77-66 W Champaign
2-3-02 61-67 L Champaign
2-12-02 63-61 W East Lansing
2-3-03 65-68 L East Lansing
2-18-03 70-40 W Champaign
2-10-04 75-51 W Champaign
2-1-05 83-71 W East Lansing
• Illinois has posted a 17-0 record against the 13 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. F. Dickinson W, 67-55
3/19/05 vs. Nevada W, 71-59
3/24/05 vs. Wis.-Milwaukee W, 77-63
3/26/05 vs. Arizona W, 90-89 (OT)
• Deron Williams is the 12th leading scorer in this year's tournament, having totaled 66 points. Williams, meanwhile, leads the tournament field in assists and assists average, with 34 assists (8.5 avg.).
• James Augustine is the third leadeing rebounder in this year's tournament, having grabbed 41 rebounds.
• Current members of the Fighting Illini squad have played a total of 86 games in the NCAA Tournament with Luther Head leading the way with a school-record 12 appearances in NCAA postseason play. Roger Powell has played in 11 games, Nick Smith has played in 10 games, and James Augustine, Dee Brown, Jack Ingram and Deron Williams have each played in nine games. In addition to his seven 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 seven games, Warren Carter in six, Brian Randle in two, and Shaun Pruitt and Fred Nkemdi in one.
• Illinois' all-time leading scorer in NCAA Tournament play is Frank Williams, who tallied 148 points in nine games (16.4 avg.). Dee Brown ranks second with 136 points (15.1 avg.), trailing Frank Williams by just 12 points for the school NCAA Tournament scoring record. Illinois has a total of four players on its current roster who have scored 100 or more points in NCAA postseason play, led by Brown's 136 points. Joining him in that group are Deron Williams (128 pts.), Luther Head (121 pts.) and James Augustine (100 pts.).
• Illinois' all-time leading rebounder in NCAA Tournament play is junior James Augustine, who has pulled down 78 boards in nine games (8.7 avg.).
• Deron Williams is Illinois' career assists leader in NCAA Tournament play, with 62 assists in nine games (6.9 avg.). He has twice recorded 10 assists during this year's tournament, with 10 vs. Nevada in the second round and 10 vs. Arizona in the regional final.
• 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.
• Seventeen different Fighting Illini players have recorded double-doubles in NCAA Tournament action on 22 different occasions. James Augustine has three double-doubles in this year's tournament, recording 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds vs. Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round, a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds vs. Nevada in the second round, and 11 points and 10 rebounds vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the regional semifinal. Deron Williams has two double-doubles in this year's tournament, with 15 points and 10 assists vs. Nevada in the second round and 22 points and 10 assists vs. Arizona in the regional final.
• Illinois competed in postseason play for a school-record 11 consecutive years from 1980-90, including eight consecutive years (1983-90) in the NCAA Tournament.
• 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.
Illini in the NCAA Tournament - Recapping the Regional
• Illinois won the Chicago Regional at the Allstate Arena by defeating No. 12 Wisconsin-Milwaukee 77-63 on Thursday in the semifinal and storming back to beat No. 3 Arizona 90-89 in overtime on Saturday in the final.
• James Augustine recorded his third straight double-double against Wisconsin-Milwaukee with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
• Dee Brown and Deron Williams tied for team-high honors in scoring with 21 points apiece in the win over Wis.-Milwaukee.
• Illinois fought back from its largest deficit of the season, 15 points, to defeat Arizona in the regional final. The Illini trailed 75-60 with four minutes remaining, but closed with a furious 20-5 run to tie the game at 80 and send it to overtime.
• Deron Williams scored 22 points against Arizona, his second highest point total of the season, to lead the Illini. He recorded his third double-double of the season, with a game-high 10 assists in addition to his 22 points.
• Luther Head scored 20 points and played 39 minutes against the Wildcats, despite playing with a sore right hamstring.
• Illinois set a school record with 16 three-pointers against Arizona, breaking the previous record of 15 treys which the Illini set twice earlier this season; vs. Penn State on Jan. 12 and vs. Purdue on March 3.
Williams Named Chicago Regional MOP; Head All-Regional Pick
Junior Deron Williams was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Chicago Regional on Saturday. He scored 21 points on 8-12 shooting against Wisconsin-Milwaukee and had eight assists. Williams then scored 22 points against Arizona, 18 of which came in the second half and overtime, hitting five 3-pointers against the Wildcats and leading Illinois' improbable comeback. Williams made it a double-double against the Wildcats, dishing out 10 assists in 44 minutes of play. In the two games, Williams averaged 21.5 points on 59 percent shooting and 9.0 assists.
Luther Head was also honored, earning recognition as a Chicago All-Regional Team selection. Despite playing on a sore hamstring througohout the weekend, Head played 33 minutes vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee and 39 minutes vs. Arizona. He had 12 points, six assists and two steals vs. Wis.-Milwaukee and 20 points and four steals vs. Arizona.
Illini Comeback Against Arizona One For The Ages
It's a good thing there have been countless television replays of Illinois' thrilling come-from-behind win Saturday over Arizona, because no Illini player or coach after the game was able to recall the details or what exactly transpired in the greatest comeback in school history. While it wasn't the largest comeback win in team annals - that would be a 21-point deficit (42-21) against Seton Hall on Dec. 9, 2000 that turned into an 87-79 win - this surely was the most significant, with a trip to the Final Four and Illinois' winningest season in school history on the line. The Illini, which entered the Arizona game having trailed in the second half just five times in 36 games and had never trailed by double figures at any point in the season, found themselves behind by 15 points, 75-60 with four minutes left. But what followed was an Orange and Blue blur, an amazing 20-5 run to tie the game and send it to overtime at 80-all. Below is the play-by-play recap of how the Illini fought back to tie the game:
3:50 - Deron Williams 3-pointer (63-75)
3:26 - Two free throws by UA's Jawann McClellan (63-77)
3:14 - Luther Head 3-pointer (66-77)
2:43 - Dee Brown offensive rebound basket (68-77)
1:18 - Luther Head steal and layup (70-77)
1:15 - One of two free throws by UA's Jawann McClellan (70-78)
1:08 - Deron Williams layup (72-78)
1:03 - Two free throws by UA's Mustafa Shakur (72-80)
0:54 - Luther Head 3-pointer (75-80)
0:45 - Dee Brown steal and layup (77-80)
0:39 - Jack Ingram steal and Deron Williams 3-pointer (80-80)
Illinois then took over in overtime, jumping out to a 90-84 lead after a layup by
Roger Powell, a 3-pointer by Williams and steal and layup by Head. Arizona. The Wildcats later cut it to one and had the game's final possession, but Williams played solid defensive on Hassan Addams, who was forced to throw up a contested 3-pointer at the buzzer that missed.
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 just the fifth team in Div. I history to record at least 36 wins in a season. Among those previous four teams, only Kentucky in 1948 won 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 list of teams to reach victory totals of 35 through 37 wins in a season:
Wins Team Year NCAA Result
1. 37 Duke 1999 Runner-Up
37 UNLV 1987 Final Four
37 Duke 1986 Runner-Up
4. 36 Illinois 2005 ???
36 Kentucky 1948 Champion
5. 35 Duke 2001 Champion
35 Kentucky 1998 Champion
35 Kansas 1998 2nd Round
35 Kentucky 1997 Runner-Up
35 Massachusetts 1996 Final Four
35 UNLV 1990 Champion
35 Oklahoma 1988 Runner-Up
35 Arizona 1988 Final Four
35 Kansas 1986 Final Four
35 Georgetown 1985 Runner-Up
Illinois has already set a Big Ten record for the winningest single-season in conference history with its 36 victories. This breaks the previous Big Ten mark of 33 wins set by Michigan State in 1998-99, when the Spartans finished 33-5 and advanced to the NCAA Final Four.
Illinois-Missouri Alumni Challenge Part of Final Four Festivities
In a prelude event to the Final Four, former Illini basketball greats will take on former Missouri standouts as part of the Alumni Challenge Rivalry Series on Friday, April 1 at the Savvis Center in St. Louis. The game, which is a new spin on the annual "Braggin' Rights" game between the Illini and the Tigers, is part of a tripleheader at the Savvis Center that begins with a St. Louis High School Alumni Challenge featuring Cardinal Ritter H.S. vs. Desmet H.S. at 5:30 p.m. The Illini and Missouri alumni take center stage at 7 p.m., with former coaches Lou Henson and Norm Stewart patrolling the sidelines for their respective schools. The evening concludes with the NABC Coaches All-Stars, a collection of the nation's top college seniors, taking on the Harlem Globetrotters at 8:30 p.m.
Some of the Illinois alumni scheduled to play in the game include Kendall Gill, Kenny Battle, Stephen Bardo, Marcus Liberty, Sergio McClain, Lucas Johnson, Richard Keene and Doug Altenberger.
Tickets for the event are on sale through the Illinois and Missouri ticket offices as well as the Savvis Center Ticket Office and Ticketmaster.
Weber Wins Naismith Award
Bruce Weber has been named the Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year presented by Coca-Cola, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Thursday, March 24. The Naismith Award, presented annually to the men's and women's college basketball coaches of the year, is the most prestigious national award in college basketball. Weber will be recognized at the Naismith Awards Banquet on April 8 in Atlanta.
Weber was selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, a collection of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country, based on his coaching performance this season.
Three Illini Players Earn All-America Honors from Associated Press
In a record-setting season, Illinois again made history by having three players named to the Associated Press All-America teams, announced last Tuesday. Dee Brown and Luther Head were named to the second team, while Deron Williams was chosen to the third team. Illinois was the only school to have three players earn placement on the three All-America Teams. Brown and Head, meanwhile, are the first UI players to earn second-team AP All-America honors since Ken Norman in 1987.
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 last Tuesday.
Brown was also a first-team All-America selection, while Deron Williams was named a second-team All-American by the magazine.
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 on Friday, April 1 at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis. The breakfast is open to the public with tickets priced at $65 per person. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, contact the Missouri Athletic Club at 314-231-7220.
* For the complete Illinois Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament Final Four Postseason Guide, click on the .pdf link at the top of this page.
