PHOENIX – The first game of the inaugural Hall of Fame Challenge between No. 18 Gonzaga and Texas may have been a no-contest, but the second game, featuring then-No. 16 Arizona and Illinois “gave everyone their money’s worth” – or at least that’s how Arizona head coach Lute Olson felt.

At one point, the Bulldogs held an 87-59 advantage over the Longhorns, who rallied for 18 unanswered points to end the game, losing 87-77. Arizona overcame its 16-point first-half deficit, taking away an 84-72 victory. The Wildcats victory, though, wasn’t secure until the final minutes of the game. Even after Arizona’s 21-4 run in the second half, Illinois only trailed by four points with 3:24 remaining.

“We watched film as a staff, and we’re mad that we let them get going, but to our kids’ credit they kept them out of transition, battled them,” head coach Bruce Weber said. “I don’t think the score was indicative of how the game ended up.”

Scores aside, the one-day, nationally-televised event on ESPN on Saturday featured four of the nation’s premier teams and was created and managed by Game Seven Sports Marketing. C.M. Newton, a member and active fundraiser for the Hall of Fame, provided most of the funding.

The Hall of Fame, rooted in Springfield, Mass., traditionally has been thought of with an east-coast bias. But Olson was happy to see the event cross coasts.

“Whether the people at the Hall felt people around the country were looking at it as an entire country’s Hall of Fame, I don’t think people really were,” said Olson, who is the fifth-winningest active Division I coach and a member of the Hall of Fame since 2002. “I think they were looking at it as an eastern Hall of Fame, and I think this will be worth it.

“To see the type of enthusiasm for this game must be very encouraging to them as well.”

The Hall of Fame Challenge will rotate cities each season, and next year’s Hall of Fame Challenge is expected to be played in Boston at the TD Banknorth Garden, home of the Boston Celtics. Official word on the event will be announced in April at the 2007 Final Four in Atlanta. At that time, the Hall of Fame will also announce its 2007 enshrinement class. At halftime of the Illinois/Arizona game, Hall of Famers Jerry West, Rick Barry, Hubie Brown and Jerry Colangelo, who serves as Managing Director of the USA Basketball Senior Men’s National Team and helped get the inaugural event going, were honored, among others. And although Illinois was playing nearly 1,700 miles from Assembly Hall, Illini fans showed up in strong numbers.

“The crowd was great,” Olson said. “I thought the enthusiasm on the part of both the Illinois fans and the Arizona fans was great. It was a great atmosphere for a college basketball game, and I’m just so pleased that the Hall of Fame had chosen to put together this double header and put it together out here.”