I don't think it was said near enough at the time, but the sportsmanship shown by this Illini team was remarkable. It's getting tougher and tougher to find that these days.
We drove down from Chicago to St.louis for this final four! We watched the games from a sports bar on the same site as our hotel! Never will forget the excitement because there were fans in the bar from Louisville, Michigan State, and Illinois; the mid west in effect, don't remember any North Carolina fans at the bar on Saturday, but they were at the bar for the Championship game on Monday!
This Illini team is one of the best teams I've ever seen. Why didn't they crush UNC you ask? James Augustine "fouled out" in the first 7 minutes of the game and the refs gave Sean May free reign to bang and buck around in the paint
Ok so it just wasnt me. Same thing happen to Notre Dame in elite 8 vs undefeated Kentucky. Irish running pick n roll at will till 6 8 center is called for 3 fouls in 8 minutes. Fouled out playing 5 minutes in 2nd half. Played 13 minutes. 7 ft towns and Cousins were outrebounded by 6 5 irish white guy.
gotta be one of the best teams to not win a championship ever in any sport. Miss this team so much, got screwed by the refs against UNC. Hopefully the Illini will get back to this level someday! GO ILLINI 💙🧡
this was such a TEAM. each one could shoot the lights out but seemed to almost be more happy to get an assist. its a shame they got beat by buffet buster sean may
Notes: 1. Per notes from Verne Lundquist (during the Louisiana-Lafayette game in Nashville), Louisville was seeded #4 with a (29-4) record due to non-conference strength of schedule. Some of the teams we played at home had rough RPI numbers. Strength of C-USA outside of us, Charlotte, Cincinnati, UAB were factors as well. 2. In November 2004, we played in the Maui Invitational (headlined by North Carolina) and was defeated by Iowa (then coached by Steve Alford, faced him in the 2012 NCAAT with New Mexico) who lost in the Maui championship game to the Tar Heels. 3. Biggest non-conference win was at Florida (74-70) who we didn’t face until the 2012 West Regional Final. Gators won the 2005 SEC tournament, lost to #5 Villanova in Nashville (same Sunday we beat GT by double digits).
I had almost forgotten just how much of a run and gun style Louisville had that year, too bad Fransisco Garcia had one of his worst games, but still a great run though.
I don't mean to one-up you but I have the number 11 jersey with the shorts, and I have the Sports Illustrated Cover with Brown on the cover. "Dee Brown and five guys that might stop him..." Sadly, Raymond Felton was one of those listed.
That Louisville team was not a Cinderella team my friend, I think they were a worthy #2 or even #1 seed, they got badly seeded as a #4 and played some great basketball in the tournament.
You know everyone talking shit about Nick Smith and i agree with some of it but he was the winningeat player at Illinois and was on the best Illinois team ever and plyed in a national championshit game so I don't think he realy gives a shit
Illinois was the top team that year, until UNC stoppped them in the title game. The Cardinals should be watchful if John Beilein gets his crew past Syracuse.
ok i will. they went 10-8 in conference, syracuse were the big east champs. they went on a nice run and won the big east tourney but they are not the big east champs.
clearly right now louisville is doing better but when you look up a 2005 final four game and your team loses there is no need to go bragging about your team, we all know who is currently better. im not even an illini fan, i was just a fan of this specific illini team.
Obviously he relied on it because we weren’t as deep that year. That strategy also hurt in the second half (Elite 8) against Michigan St nearly four years later.
Obviously he relied on it because we weren’t as deep that year and dealt with injuries. That strategy also hurt in the second half (Elite 8) against Michigan St (who that night was hammered by North Carolina on the same floor) nearly four years later.
did wooden really say that? well can't go wrong with that i mean the guy has won 11 titles for god sake i watch these highlights and most of the time, i am just awestruck. but sometimes i just get angrier knowing that if the Illini had Villanueva, we would have slaughtered UNC and made Roy Williams cry like a little bitch just like he did when Kansas lost to Melo and Syracuse
Look at all the Louisville but hurt fans lol We get that Illinois isn't as good as they were in this video. but every team has a stretch where they struggle to be good. Louisville wasn't that great at times either. So calm down.
