Celebrities. That’s the best word to describe the members of the 2004-05 Illini men’s basketball squad. Even before the NIL era made college athletes pseudo-pros, the Illini of 20 years ago still had all the buzz and stardom of professional athletes. That energy was revitalized when the 2003-04 and 2004-05 teams both had their 20-year reunion in Champaign at the end of August.
“(Illinois fans) are passionate about their sports,” said guard Dee Brown. “They’re passionate about you. So if you win, you become a rock star, you become the person that everybody wants to be around. … We just appreciated the love.”
On campus, off campus, at other schools’ campuses — that love was everywhere.
“We went in elevators in hotels that were for the service people,” said head coach Bruce Weber. “We had to go underground. (At) movies, we tried to sneak them in. They got a standing ovation at Northwestern in a movie theater.”
The Illini were the team to beat heading into the 2005 NCAA tournament. They went virtually undefeated in the regular season with their only loss being a nailbiter defeat to Ohio State, 65-64. Their 15-1 conference record easily granted them the outright Big Ten regular season championship, and to put the cherry on top, they won the Big Ten tournament title as well.
“This was a special group,” Weber said. “Not only (in) Illini history, but NCAA history, (this) is one of the best teams. One of the best teams, if not the best team, that didn’t win a national championship.”
Illinois’ regular-season momentum carried into the NCAA tournament with the No. 1 seed Illini running past their first three opponents by double digits. However, an Elite Eight matchup against Arizona almost ended their hopes. The Wildcats led by 15 with four minutes left on the clock.
Against the odds, the Illini came back. A massive run, capped off by a game-tying three-pointer from guard Deron Williams with 38 seconds remaining, tied the game at 80-80. A blocked shot by guard Luther Head sent the thriller to overtime.
On the back of two more of Williams’ three-pointers and a missed game-winning shot by the Wildcats, the Illini held on for a one-point victory, 90-89, to head to the Final Four.
“When you’re that young, you’re just living in it, right?” Williams said. “I think that whole year was really a whirlwind, not just for me, but for everybody.”
The mostly orange and blue crowd at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois, and those watching from across the state, were thrilled.
“(On) the ride back from Chicago, when we beat Arizona, people (were) on the interstate, on the bridges,” Weber said. “It’s such a memorable time and just amazing.”
Unfortunately, the Illini’s dream run came to an end. Illinois ran through Louisville in the Final Four by 15 points, but they fell just short of the national title, losing 75-70 to North Carolina in the championship game.
“One of the things that haunts me to this day is not bringing home the big boy trophy my junior year,” Brown said.
Despite failing to meet their ultimate goal in 2004-05, the Illini of that year, as well as the season before, still have fond memories of that time.
From being outright Big Ten champions and advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in 2003-04, to winning the outright Big Ten championship, Big Ten tournament title and being national runners-up in 2004-05, the basketball court was a vessel for lifelong relationships and everlasting memories.
“(Those seasons) are some of the funnest years of my life,” Williams said. “The friendships, camaraderie that we had here, I mean, we had something special … Talking s— with me and Luther and (guard) Jerrance (Howard), playing cards with those guys. On the court was fun, but off the court was just as much fun.”
@sahil_mittal24
