|
Men's Basketball
Illinois NCAA Tournament Final Four Notes
March 29, 2005
Illinois-NCAA Tournament Final Four Postseason Guide in PDF Format
#1 ILLINOIS (36-1, 15-1, Big Ten Champions) Probable Starters Off The Bench Injured Illinois Head Coach Bruce Weber Assistant Coaches: Wayne McClain (4th Year), Jay Price (2nd Year), Tracy Webster (1st year) Television Radio The Illini in The NCAA Tournament 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: • 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. • 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 Williams Named Chicago Regional MOP; Head All-Regional Pick 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 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 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 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 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 Brown and Weber Earn Sporting News National Awards 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 Weber wins Henry Iba Award 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.
|
