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Illinois Basketball: Top 5 Illini duos since 2000

By Rees Woodcock

Jan 2, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) and guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) celebrate during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at the State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) and guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) celebrate during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at the State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois basketball
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) /

The Illinois basketball program has had some great players since 2000, and these great players sometimes form great duos.

Lewis and Clark, Batman and Robin, Spaghetti and Meatball; these are all great duos throughout the history of the world. The Illini have produced some great duos as well. These duos have impacted the game with their numbers and have helped take the program to new heights with winning on the court.

Here are the five best Illinois basketball duos since 2000.

5. Dee Brown & Luther Head

  • 29.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 3.5 steals
  • Round 32, Sweet 16, National Title

Checking in at No. 5 on the best Illini duos since 2000 is the pairing of Dee Brown and Luther Head. This one-two punch really kicked it into high gear during Head’s senior year, but the run these two had is second to none in Illinois history.

The duo started their tear through the college basketball world in 2002-03 with an impressive team. That year, the Illini were 25-7 and made the NCAA tournament as a No. 4 seed. A second-round exit to Notre Dame ended the season quickly, though.

From that point on, this duo would continue to reach greater heights each year. The following season, Illinois would go on to make the Sweet 16. The final year of the three-year run for this great duo ended in 2004-05 when Illinois reached the pinnacle of the game. The Illini would get to the national title only to fall five points short of North Carolina.

The accomplishments on the court helped put Brown and Head into the top five duos, but their numbers also boosted them up. The best season they had together was that national title run. The two combined to average 29.2 points, 8.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.5 steals per game.

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