Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Basketball: 5 favorite Illini moments described as boring as possible

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 24: An Illinois Fighting Illini cheerleader is seen before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at State Farm Center on February 24, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 24: An Illinois Fighting Illini cheerleader is seen before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at State Farm Center on February 24, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
CHICAGO – MARCH 26: Luther Head #4 of the Illinois Fighting Illini kisses teammate Dee Brown #11, L, as they celebrate victory over the Arizona Wildcats in the Chicago Regional Final in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship at the Allstate Arena on March 26, 2005 in Chicago, Illinois. Illinois defeated Arizona 90-89 in overtime. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)
CHICAGO – MARCH 26: Luther Head #4 of the Illinois Fighting Illini kisses teammate Dee Brown #11, L, as they celebrate victory over the Arizona Wildcats in the Chicago Regional Final in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship at the Allstate Arena on March 26, 2005 in Chicago, Illinois. Illinois defeated Arizona 90-89 in overtime. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images) /

1. No. 1 seed beats No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament

A No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament should always beat the No. 3 seed. They are ranked higher, so naturally, they are a better team. But this No. 1 beating the No. 3 seed shouldn’t have happened with the scenario that was laid out on the court.

It was the 2004-05 campaign, and Illinois was barnstorming through the college basketball world. With a win over No. 1 Wake Forest earlier in the year and a nearly flawless regular season, the Illini were the darlings of the NCAA.

Illinois entered the NCAA tournament with only one loss on its resume. They won the Big Ten Tournament and were the overall No. 1 seed. The first few rounds weren’t as easy as some expected, but Illinois would make it to the Elite 8 where they would face off against No. 3 Arizona.

The Wildcats had been Illinois’ bugaboo for the past few years, and it looked like the Illini were going to fall just short once again. That was until the greatest comeback in the history of college sports happened.

Everything looked grim for the Orange and Blue. We were down 77-63 (14 points) with 3:28 left in the game. A comeback seemed unfathomable. This seemed to be the end of things…until it wasn’t.

Luther Head came off a screen and hit a three-pointer. The score was 77-66 with 3:18 left. Arizona turned the ball over and after a missed three-pointer, Dee Brown made a short shot to bring the score to 77-68 with 2:44 left.

Head then stole the ball from Arizona and made a layup at the other end to bring the score to 77-70 with 1:21 left in the game. After a Wildcats free throw, Deron Williams drove the ball down the court and made a layup to bring the score to 78-72 with 1:03 left in the game.

Two free throws by Arizona brought the score back to 80-72 with just over a minute to go. Williams drove the ball back down the court and kicked it out for a Head three-pointer. The score showed 80-75 with 57-seconds left. An amazing steal by Brown and a layup at the end other brought the score to 80-77 with 45.3-seconds left.

Illinois then steals the inbounds pass. After a couple of passes, Williams gets the ball, dribbles once, and steps into a three-pointer to tie the game at 80-80 with 38.2-seconds left. Arizona would try for a last-second shot only to miss and send the game to overtime.

Next. Illini target David Jones’ Crystal Ball has changed. dark

In overtime, Arizona had a chance to win the game but missed the shot. Illinois won 90-89. This was the craziest game in the history of the basketball program. It wasn’t just a No. 1 seed beating a No. 3 seed. It was the biggest comeback anyone will ever see in the game.

Home/Illinois Basketball