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

Media Credit: Adam Babcock Illinois center Shaun Pruitt defends against Virginia Tech's Coleman Collins during the NCAA tournament first-round game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, Friday, March 16, 2007. Pruitt took four rebounds and had 6 points in the game, but Illinois lost to Virginia Tech, 54-52.

Throughout the 2007 basketball season, the Illini's circumstances were less than ideal. Yet, ask Bruce Weber and Warren Carter if they had the talent to defeat fifth-seeded Virginia Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and they will take the blame for letting a 13-point lead slip away. Weber says they got themselves in that predicament, while Carter says they just couldn't "crawl out of it."

"You're just hoping one thing goes your way," Weber said. "They made the comeback; we kept saying, 'We're fine, we're fine.' You've got to give them credit."

While the Illini (23-12) hung with the Hokies for 32 minutes, many of their flaws were exposed in their season-ending loss - one being their lack of offensive firepower. Shooting 42.2 percent from the field (19-of-45), Illinois made just one field goal in the final 4:27 of the game. On the other hand, Virginia Tech, after starting out shooting 29.2 percent, picked it up to shoot 44.4 percent (8-of-18) in the second half. When it counted, the Hokies made their free throws, grabbed for loose balls and forced the Illini into unforced errors.

"Anybody that knows anything about our team knows we have to win turnover margin; that's how we win games," said Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg. "And (the press) was a way to get some extra possessions, maybe turn them over, get out in transition and score some easy baskets."

Nothing, though, came easy for the Illini.

Continuously forced to work with a depleted roster during the season, Illinois saw Brian Randle sit out nine games following groin surgery, along with nearly 60 practices because of the surgery and a case of plantar fasciitis in January.

The junior forward averaged 7.4 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game and shot nearly 49 percent from the field. Knowing Randle wouldn't be able to equal the expectations set for him (he was named to the Wooden Award watch list prior to the start of the season), Weber had Randle focus on asserting himself on the defensive end and providing energy to the rest of the Illini.

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