Posted: 3/26/07 Section: NCAA Tournament Guide

Media Credit: Adam Babcock Illinois guard Chester Frazier, right, dives for a loose ball against Virginia Tech's Zabian Dowell during the game against Virginia Tech at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, Friday, March 16, 2007. Frazier was scoreless, but took seven rebounds. Illinois lost to Virginia Tech, 52-54.

For 32 minutes, they were the aggressor, playing with the courage head coach Bruce Weber believed to be their most defining attribute.

They refused to give in to a Virginia Tech team that boasted All-ACC guards and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, beaten the likes of Maryland, Georgia Tech and North Carolina and had four starters averaging double figures in scoring.

Then, just as quickly as some of the hardships the Illini faced this season came upon them, their 13-point lead disappeared, which resulted in a 54-52 loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 16 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

By the time the Hokies went to their full-court press, the Illini were just hoping that their lead would hold.

Nerves got the best of them, said senior Warren Carter, who had 15 points and five rebounds in his last game for the Illini (23-12).

"They started pressuring us some more in the half court, but most of our turnovers were after we broke the press. They never really had turnovers from the full-court press - it was just us being careless with the ball," Carter said. "Our mentality switched from being the aggressor to letting the clock tick out to try to get the win."

Instead of the clock ticking down with Illinois as the victor, it found itself on the other side of the column, as it committed 21 turnovers and failed to score in the final four minutes and twenty-seven seconds.

After surging to a 29-21 halftime advantage, the Illini managed just seven field goals and finished the game 8-of-15 from the free-throw line.

"We just gave it up; I don't know if that's typical or not," said Brian Randle of Illinois' inability to protect its second-half leads. "We feel like we should have won; we had our opportunities. I had my opportunity to win the game for these guys, and just blew it."

Continued...

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