| 2004–05Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 2 |
| AP | No. 1 |
| Record | 37–2 (15–1 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
|
| Assistant coaches |
|
| MVPs | |
| Captains | |
| Home arena | Assembly Hall |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1Illinois † | 15 | – | 1 | .938 | 37 | – | 2 | .949 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15Michigan State | 13 | – | 3 | .813 | 26 | – | 6 | .813 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20Wisconsin | 11 | – | 5 | .688 | 25 | – | 9 | .735 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 15 | – | 14 | .517 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 21 | – | 11 | .656 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio State | 8 | – | 8 | .500 | 20 | – | 12 | .625 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 21 | – | 12 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 6 | – | 10 | .375 | 15 | – | 16 | .484 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan | 4 | – | 12 | .250 | 13 | – | 18 | .419 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 13 | .188 | 7 | – | 21 | .250 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn State | 1 | – | 15 | .063 | 7 | – | 23 | .233 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †2005 Big Ten tournament winner As of March 15, 2005 Rankings from AP Poll[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team marked the 100th season ofmen's basketball at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. After starting the regular season with a record of 29–0 andwinning the Big Ten Conference regular season title outright at 15–1, the Illini wereBig Ten tournament champions. They advanced in theNCAA tournament to thenational championship, marking the school's first appearance in the championship game,[2] but lost toNorth Carolina, 75–70. They ended the seasonat 37–2, tying the record for most victories in a season for a men's college basketball team.[3]
In 2014,Sports Illustrated voted the 2005 Illinois team as the best ever not to win a national title.
Illinois celebrated its 100th season of varsity basketball in 2004–05. In his second season as head coach at Illinois,Bruce Weber's Illini put together the most successful season inU of I history. The Illini tied the all-time NCAA record for victories in a season with 37 wins en route to its 37–2 record (since surpassed by2011–12 Kentucky with a 38–2 record and2014–15 Kentucky with a 38–1 record). Illinois made its fifth all-time NCAA Final Four appearance and first since1989. The Illini defeatedLouisville in the national semifinal to advance to thechampionship game for the first time in school history. Illinois finished as the national runner-up, falling by five points toNorth Carolina in the title game.
Above all else, the team was noted for its impeccable ball movement on offense, and led the nation in assists. A constant flow of passes allowed for open looks from the three-point line on every play. Led by a three-guard starting lineup, the team did not rely upon sheer size and height like many other teams in order to dominate, but rather skill and teamwork. Illinois relied upon three-point shooting for its offensive firepower. Illinois' effective offense was largely attributable to the team chemistry that had developed amongst the starting five, which had gone unchanged over the two previous seasons. Defensively, the team was one of the best at guarding against the three-point shot. Illinois averaged 77.0 points per game, while allowing 61.1 points per game, for an average point differential of nearly 16 points.
| Statistic | Amount | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Points scored | 3,002 | 4th |
| Assists | 727 | 1st |
| Rebounding | 1,338 | 9th |
| Three-point field goals made | 344 | 2nd |
| Three-point field goal attempts | 877 | 4th |
| Points allowed (defense) | 2,382 | 8th |
In blowout home games, 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) senior Nick Smith, the tallest player in University of Illinois basketball history, would take three-point shots from the top of the key. He made 4 of 11 on the season.
The Illini started the season by setting a school record with 29 straight wins, the third best start inBig Ten history and tying the 12th best start in NCAA annals. Illinois won its second-ever game over a No. 1-ranked opponent, crushingWake Forest 91–73 at theAssembly Hall on December 1. After the win, the Illini took over the number 1 overall spot in the national polls and held it for the remainder of the regular season, a run of 15 straight weeks. On January 25, 2005, Illinois defeated Wisconsin 75–65 at the Kohl Center, snapping the Badgers' nation-leading 38-game home court winning streak. In the process, Illinois handed the Badgers their first home court loss since a defeat to, coincidentally, Wake Forest, on December 4, 2002, and also assumed the nation's longest home court winning streak themselves.
Illinois was ranked No. 1 in the finalAssociated Press poll of 2005, another first for the program. The Illini then went on to win to its second straight outrightBig Ten Championship with a 15–1 record, as Weber became the first coach in 100 years of Big Ten basketball to win consecutive outright league championships in his first two seasons.
The Illini won theBig Ten tournament, becoming just the second team to win both an outright Big Ten regular season title and the Big Ten tournament in the same season. In the NCAA tournament, the overall number 1 seeded Illini won their first three games by double digits.
In an Elite Eight matchup, Illinois fell behind early to theUniversity of Arizona due to poor shooting behind the three-point line and sensational play by Arizona's leadersSalim Stoudamire andChanning Frye. The game featured a 15-point comeback from the Illini, triggered by several steals andDeron Williams' clutch three-point shooting, including several NBA range threes, in the last 3 minutes and 30 seconds of the game.[citation needed]
The Illini then defeatedThe University of Louisville 72–57, the team's largest margin of victory in the tournament, to move on to the2005 National Championship Game againstNorth Carolina.
In thenational championship game, Illinois was defeated by North Carolina 70–75. North Carolina relied upon stellar post play fromSean May, who managed to getJames Augustine and Jack Ingram into foul trouble, while Illinois struggled offensively with what had succeeded the rest of the season, converting only 12 of a championship game record 40 three-point field goal attempts. James Augustine played 9 minutes due to foul trouble, forcing Jack Ingram to play a huge role in the second half comeback the Illini made. For almost the entire season, Illinois was ranked #1 and North Carolina was ranked #2, respectively, in all polls, and both teams were the favorites to meet in the national championship game. The North Carolina squad would go on to field six players in the NBA draft.
Bruce Weber was named National Coach of the Year by nine organizations.Dee Brown, "The One Man Fast Break", was named The Sporting News National Player of the Year and swept the conference honors as well, being named bothBig Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. The Illini had three players earn consensus All-America honors in the same season for the first time ever. In addition to Brown earning consensus first-teamAll-America honors,Deron Williams andLuther Head were named consensus second-team All-Americans. Following the season, both Williams and Head were chosen in the first round of theNBA draft, with Head being drafted No. 24 overall by theHouston Rockets while Williams became the highest Illinois player ever drafted when he was chosen No. 3 overall by theUtah Jazz.
| 2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team | |
|---|---|
| Players | Coaches |
| |
| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 | Bench 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F/C | James Augustine | Nick Smith | Shaun Pruitt | ||
| F | Roger Powell, Jr. | Jack Ingram | Warren Carter | Fred Nkemdi | |
| SG | Dee Brown | Rich McBride | |||
| SG | Luther Head | ||||
| PG | Deron Williams |
SophomoreBrian Randle took a medical redshirt after punching a wall in frustration and breaking his hand during preseason practice.[4]
| Type of record | Record |
|---|---|
| Overall | 37–2 |
| Regular season | 29–1 |
| Conference | 15–1 |
| Non-conference | 14–0 |
| Home | 15–0 |
| Road | 9–1 |
| Neutral | 5–0 |
| Neutral (including tournaments) | 13–1 |
| Blowouts (10+ points) | 31–0 |
| Date time, TV | Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| Fri, Nov 5, 2004* 7:00 pm | No. 5 | Southern Illinois-Edwardsville | W 78–58 | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, IL | |||||||
| Sun, Nov 14, 2004* 3:00 pm | No. 5 | Lewis | W 92–61 | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, IL | |||||||
| Non-Conference regular season | |||||||||||
| Fri, Nov 19, 2004* 7:05 pm | No. 6 | Delaware State | W 87–67 | 1–0 | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, IL | ||||||
| Sun, Nov 21, 2004* 1:00 pm | No. 6 | Florida A&M | W 91–60 | 2–0 | Assembly Hall (15,518) Champaign, IL | ||||||
| Wed, Nov 24, 2004* 7:05 pm, ESPN Plus | No. 5 | Oakland | W 85–54 | 3–0 | Assembly Hall (13,932) Champaign, IL | ||||||
| Sat, Nov 27, 2004* 1:00 pm, WBBM | No. 5 | vs. No. 24 Gonzaga | W 89–72 | 4–0 | Conseco Fieldhouse (14,183) Indianapolis, IN | ||||||
| Wed, Dec 1, 2004* 6:05 pm, ESPN | No. 5 | No. 1 Wake Forest ACC-Big Ten Challenge | W 91–73 | 5–0 | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, IL | ||||||
| Sat, Dec 4, 2004* 1:00 pm, ESPN | No. 5 | at Arkansas | W 72–60 | 6–0 | Alltel Arena (13,140) North Little Rock, AR | ||||||
| Mon, Dec 6, 2004* 7:05 pm, ESPN Plus | No. 1 | Chicago State | W 78–59 | 7–0 | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, IL | ||||||
| Thu, Dec 9, 2004* 7:30 pm, ESPN Plus | No. 1 | at Georgetown | W 74–59 | 8–0 | MCI Center (12,401) Washington, DC | ||||||
| Sat, Dec 11, 2004* 1:00 pm, ESPN | No. 1 | vs. Oregon | W 83–66 | 9–0 | United Center (21,224) Chicago, IL | ||||||
| Sun, Dec 19, 2004* 4:00 pm | No. 1 | Valparaiso | W 93–56 | 10–0 | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, IL | ||||||
| Wed, Dec 22, 2004* 7:05 pm, ESPN2 | No. 1 | vs. Missouri Braggin' Rights | W 70–64 | 11–0 | Savvis Center (22,153) St. Louis, MO | ||||||
| Mon, Dec 27, 2004* 7:05 pm | No. 1 | Longwood | W 105–79 | 12–0 | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, IL | ||||||
| Thu, Dec 30, 2004* 4:00 pm, FSN | No. 1 | vs. Northwestern State Las Vegas Holiday Classic | W 69–51 | 13–0 | Valley High (2,500) Las Vegas, NV | ||||||
| Fri, Dec 31, 2004* 5:00 pm, FSN | No. 1 | vs. No. 22 Cincinnati Las Vegas Holiday Classic | W 67–45 | 14–0 | Valley High (2,500) Las Vegas, NV | ||||||
| Big Ten regular season | |||||||||||
| Wed, Jan 5, 2005 8:05 pm, ESPN Plus | No. 1 | Ohio State | W 84–65 | 15–0 (1–0) | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, IL | ||||||
| Sat, Jan 8, 2005 4:00 pm, CBS | No. 1 | at Purdue | W 68–59 | 16–0 (2–0) | Mackey Arena (14,123) West Lafayette, IN | ||||||
| Wed, Jan 12, 2005 8:00 pm, ESPN Plus | No. 1 | Penn State | W 90–64 | 17–0 (3–0) | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, IL | ||||||
| Sat, Jan 15, 2005 3:30 pm, ESPN Plus | No. 1 | at Northwestern Rivalry | W 78–66 | 18–0 (4–0) | Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117) Evanston, IL | ||||||
| Thu, Jan 20, 2005 6:00 pm, ESPN | No. 1 | No. 23 Iowa Rivalry | W 73–68 OT | 19–0 (5–0) | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, IL | ||||||
| Tue, Jan 25, 2005 8:00 pm, ESPN | No. 1 | at No. 18 Wisconsin | W 75–65 | 20–0 (6–0) | Kohl Center (17,142) Madison, WI | ||||||
| Sat, Jan 29, 2005 1:30 pm, ESPN Plus | No. 1 | Minnesota | W 89–66 | 21–0 (7–0) | Assembly Hall (16,694) Champaign, IL | ||||||
| Tue, Feb 1, 2005 7:05 pm, ESPN | No. 1 | at No. 12 Michigan State | W 81–68 | 22–0 (8–0) | Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI | ||||||
| Sun, Feb 6, 2005 12:00 pm, CBS | No. 1 | Indiana Rivalry | W 60–47 | 23–0 (9–0) | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, IL | ||||||
| Tue, Feb 8, 2005 7:05 pm, ESPN | No. 1 | at Michigan | W 57–51 | 24–0 (10–0) | Crisler Arena (13,751) Ann Arbor, MI | ||||||
| Sat, Feb 12, 2005 12:00 pm, CBS | No. 1 | No. 20 Wisconsin | W 70–59 | 25–0 (11–0) | Assembly Hall (16,865) Champaign, IL | ||||||
| Wed, Feb 16, 2005 8:05 pm, ESPN Plus | No. 1 | at Penn State | W 83–63 | 26–0 (12–0) | Bryce Jordan Center (10,966) University Park, PA | ||||||
| Sat, Feb 19, 2005 11:05 am, ESPN | No. 1 | at Iowa Rivalry | W 75–65 | 27–0 (13–0) | Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500) Iowa City, IA | ||||||
| Wed, Feb 23, 2005 7:05 pm, ESPN Plus | No. 1 | Northwestern Rivalry | W 84–48 | 28–0 (14–0) | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, IL | ||||||
| Thu, Mar 3, 2005 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 1 | Purdue | W 84–50 | 29–0 (15–0) | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, IL | ||||||
| Sun, Mar 6, 2005 12:00 pm, CBS | No. 1 | at Ohio State | L 64–65 | 29–1 (15–1) | Value City Arena (19,200) Columbus, OH | ||||||
| Big Ten tournament | |||||||||||
| Fri, Mar 11, 2005 11:00 am, ESPN | (1)No. 1 | vs. (8) Northwestern Quarterfinals | W 68–51 | 30–1 | United Center (22,413) Chicago, IL | ||||||
| Sat, Mar 12, 2005 11:00 am, CBS | (1)No. 1 | vs. (5) Minnesota Semifinals | W 64–56 | 31–1 | United Center (23,697) Chicago, IL | ||||||
| Sun, Mar 13, 2005 12:00 pm, CBS | (1)No. 1 | vs. (3) No. 23 Wisconsin Championship Game | W 54–43 | 32–1 | United Center (22,157) Chicago, IL | ||||||
| NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
| Thu, Mar 17, 2005* 9:40 pm, CBS | (1 C)No. 1 | vs. (16 C) Fairleigh Dickinson First Round | W 67–55 | 33–1 | RCA Dome (26,804) Indianapolis, IN | ||||||
| Sat, Mar 19, 2005* 5:40 pm, CBS | (1 C)No. 1 | vs. (9 C) Nevada Second Round | W 71–59 | 34–1 | RCA Dome (40,331) Indianapolis, IN | ||||||
| Thu, Mar 24, 2005* 6:27 pm, CBS | (1 C)No. 1 | vs. (12 C) Milwaukee Sweet Sixteen | W 77–63 | 35–1 | Allstate Arena (16,957) Rosemont, IL | ||||||
| Sat, Mar 26, 2005* 5:40 pm, CBS | (1 C)No. 1 | vs. (3 C) No. 9 Arizona Elite Eight | W 90–89 OT | 36–1 | Allstate Arena (16,957) Rosemont, IL | ||||||
| Sat, Apr 2, 2005* 5:07 pm, CBS | (1 C)No. 1 | vs. (4 A) No. 4 Louisville Final Four | W 72–57 | 37–1 | Edward Jones Dome (47,754) St. Louis, MO | ||||||
| Mon, Apr 4, 2005* 8:21 pm, CBS | (1 C)No. 1 | vs. (1 S) No. 3 North Carolina National Championship | L 70–75 | 37–2 | Edward Jones Dome (47,262) St. Louis, MO | ||||||
*Non-conference game.#Rankings fromAP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are inCentral Time. | |||||||||||
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | Avg | Average per game |
| FG | Field-goals made | FGA | Field-goal attempts | Off | Offensiverebounds |
| Def | Defensive rebounds | A | Assists | TO | Turnovers |
| Blk | Blocks | Stl | Steals | High | Team high |
| Minutes | Scoring | Total FGs | 3-point FGs | Free-Throws | Rebounds | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | GS | Tot | Avg | Pts | Avg | FG | FGA | Pct | 3FG | 3FA | Pct | FT | FTA | Pct | Off | Def | Tot | Avg | A | TO | Blk | Stl |
| Head, Luther | 39 | 39 | 1297 | 33.3 | 622 | 15.9 | 214 | 462 | .463 | 116 | 283 | .410 | 78 | 99 | .788 | 24 | 131 | 155 | 4.0 | 150 | 69 | 9 | 67 |
| Brown, Dee | 39 | 39 | 1272 | 32.6 | 518 | 13.3 | 179 | 359 | .499 | 99 | 228 | .434 | 61 | 79 | .772 | 21 | 83 | 104 | 2.7 | 177 | 73 | 3 | 70 |
| Williams, Deron | 39 | 39 | 1315 | 33.7 | 489 | 12.5 | 178 | 411 | .433 | 68 | 187 | .364 | 65 | 96 | .677 | 14 | 128 | 142 | 3.6 | 264 | 109 | 8 | 38 |
| Powell, Roger | 39 | 39 | 979 | 25.1 | 467 | 12.0 | 175 | 319 | .549 | 20 | 52 | .385 | 97 | 133 | .729 | 103 | 119 | 222 | 5.7 | 16 | 42 | 9 | 25 |
| Augustine, James | 39 | 39 | 1037 | 26.6 | 392 | 10.1 | 141 | 227 | .621 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 110 | 147 | .748 | 100 | 195 | 295 | 7.6 | 43 | 46 | 46 | 36 |
| Ingram, Jack | 39 | 0 | 589 | 15.1 | 174 | 4.5 | 71 | 150 | .473 | 9 | 23 | .391 | 23 | 29 | .793 | 51 | 56 | 107 | 2.7 | 17 | 15 | 20 | 26 |
| Smith, Nick | 38 | 0 | 413 | 10.9 | 127 | 3.3 | 54 | 133 | .406 | 4 | 11 | .364 | 15 | 23 | .652 | 20 | 58 | 78 | 2.1 | 24 | 21 | 18 | 11 |
| McBride, Rich | 38 | 0 | 546 | 14.4 | 98 | 2.6 | 32 | 99 | .323 | 27 | 87 | .310 | 7 | 7 | 1.000 | 16 | 35 | 51 | 1.3 | 29 | 19 | 2 | 15 |
| Carter, Warren | 33 | 0 | 261 | 7.9 | 74 | 2.2 | 32 | 62 | .516 | 1 | 6 | .167 | 9 | 19 | .474 | 19 | 39 | 58 | 1.8 | 5 | 14 | 6 | 9 |
| Pruitt, Shaun | 21 | 0 | 97 | 4.6 | 29 | 1.4 | 10 | 26 | .385 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 9 | 18 | .500 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 0.9 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 3 |
| Nkemdi, Fred | 18 | 0 | 44 | 2.4 | 12 | 0.7 | 6 | 10 | .600 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0.3 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Team | 43 | 58 | 101 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 39 | 7850 | 3002 | 77.0 | 1092 | 2258 | .484 | 344 | 877 | .392 | 474 | 651 | .728 | 425 | 913 | 1338 | 34.3 | 727 | 428 | 123 | 300 | ||
| Opponents | 39 | 7850 | 2382 | 61.1 | 869 | 2094 | .415 | 233 | 651 | .358 | 411 | 618 | .665 | 407 | 815 | 1222 | 31.3 | 482 | 580 | 99 | 196 | ||
| Year | Player | NBA Club | Round | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Deron Williams | Utah Jazz | 1 | 3 |
| 2005 | Luther Head | Houston Rockets | 1 | 24 |
| 2006 | James Augustine | Orlando Magic | 2 | 41 |
| 2006 | Dee Brown | Utah Jazz | 2 | 46 |
Maybe it's pedigree that makes the Tar Heels the favorites. North Carolina is making its eighth appearance in the national title game, a place Illinois has never been.
Illinois will have to settle on a tie for most victories in a season after losing monday night's title game: 37: Duke ('89, '99); Illinois ('05); UNLV ('87)
