Minnesota didn’t give Illinois much of a game on Saturday.

It was for the best.

The Centennial Celebration couldn’t have been interrupted with a close game.

There was too much else going on.

“We wanted to put on a show,” said Illinois junior guard Deron Williams.

It was a great show, but how can college kids really appreciate it all? Or begin to understand it?

How many undergrads know Levi Cobb from Dave Downey?

Heck, most of the campus couldn’t tell you who Chris Gandy is, and he last played in 1997.

Good thing. Knowing Illinois basketball history wasn’t important for the Centennial Celebration.

The moment drew you in.

It started with the alumni game.

Bruce Douglas and Eddie Johnson were just names in the Illini media guide to me.

I knew Douglas led the Illini in all-time steals and Johnson hit the shot to beat No. 1 Michigan State in 1979.

I didn’t know two middle-aged men had better-looking shots than half of the Big Ten.

Douglas and Johnson traded threes in the second half of the alumni game.

It was mesmerizing.

As Deron Williams took control in the game that mattered, the 89-66 blowout – 18 points, six assists, five rebounds – I found myself wondering if that is what Douglas and Johnson looked like when they ran the floor at Assembly Hall.

And if Williams’ shot will still be the same in 20 years.

This weekend, the past and the present were one and the same.

Dee Brown shared the same court as Don Freeman.

Bruce Weber and Lou Henson were next to each other.

No one got a bigger ovation than “LOOOUUU.” The man has gone through non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, pneumonia and viral encephalitis in the last couple of years.

He is paralyzed in his right leg, but that didn’t stop him from standing up – again and again.

Henson stood when he was honored at halftime. He stood to shake hands with the current team and the All-Century Team members.

Kendall Gill walked up to Henson and hugged him. Gill didn’t want to let go.

That is the power of Illinois basketball.

How often do you see this outpouring of emotion in Assembly Hall?

That is why anyone could see this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

That is why Frank Williams, who wasn’t expected to attend, found a way to get to Champaign on the same night his Chicago Bulls hosted the Boston Celtics.

Chills were the standard order.

Most had second or third helpings by the time the players were introduced.

Students remember Lucas Johnson diving through tables and opponents to get a loose ball.

They serenaded him with a “LUUUCAS” chant.

With All-Century introductions, nickname chants wouldn’t show the proper respect.

Johnny “Red” Kerr ripped open his black blazer to reveal an orange Illinois t-shirt when he was introduced.

The 16,694 gave him a standing ovation.

Ditto Gene Vance, Kenny Battle and Johnson.

On Saturday afternoon everyone was a college kid again. Everyone relieved their glory days.

Everyone could sway back and forth and sing the Alma Mater.

20-year-olds and 40-year-olds alike.

That is all that matters.