To win in college basketball, just have a few good guards.

Or so they tell me.

Why then is the 1997 Arizona Wildcat team with Mike Bibby, Jason Terry and Michael Dickerson the last national champion to start a three-guard lineup?

A trio of guards can carry a team to a great season, but not the to the title?

Why is that?

It’s a question Dee Brown, Deron Williams, Luther Head and company will have to ponder after a closer-than-expected 73-68 overtime win against No. 23 Iowa.

“I just know you have to have good guards in order to win and I know we have good guards,” Brown said.

It’s simple really. Guards are catalysts. They set things in motion and watch everything go.

And Illinois guards are the best in their profession.

Brown, Williams and Head are the college basketball version of Daniel Ocean, Rusty Ryan and Linus Caldwell.

Head does most of the hands-on work – he scored 25 points Thursday and leads the Illini in scoring.

Yet, he gets very little credit for the team’s success.

Brown and Williams are the center of the media’s attention, always calm, controlled and tending to have the ball in their hands.

They see all the angles, breakdown all defenses and always find the open teammate.

Just no one could give them an assist Thursday. Illinois shot 32 percent from the field.

An off night shooting on the perimeter – could that be a clue for three-guard teams not winning it all?

Winning six NCAA Tournament games in a row is like winning the World Series of Poker. It takes skill most don’t have, plus a horseshoe and a rabbit’s foot.

Illinois may then need to invest in some lucky charms.

Well, maybe not. Iowa wasn’t the first time Illinois struggled this season – it was just the closest Illinois came to losing.

Illinois has shot poorly before against physical teams – Purdue and Missouri – and opponents using the Princeton offense – Georgetown and Northwestern.

They won all four.

In all four games, Illinois relied on a scoring run – fueled by Weberball. Unselfish play, defense and using Illinois’ athleticism to force turnovers.

I know Illinois is an offensive juggernaut, but when the close games come, Illinois adds another win because of Weberball.

The run never came against Iowa. That was fine. The principles of Weberball held true on its own.

Illinois forced the Hawkeyes into 22 turnovers, 15 of them off of steals.

Illinois held Iowa to 44 percent shooting.

The Illini’s defense hasn’t been as good the last three weeks as it has been before, but once overtime started it didn’t matter.

“There are times you got to say, ‘forget everything and hunker down,'” Head said.

How about overtime?

Illinois held Iowa to one field goal in the extra frame.

Brown and Williams missed three free throws in the final minute – allowing Iowa to tie the game.

Didn’t matter.

The Illini hit all six of their shots from the charity stripe in the extra session.

That may be a clue as to why Illinois can replicate Arizona and win with a three-guard lineup.

“Why not?” said Williams.

Exactly.

Why not indeed.

Bobby La Gesse is a senior in communications. He can be reached at [email protected].