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TechnographNo-quit attitude common theme in this season's road to Final Four
By NCAA Tournament Guide Staff
Posted: 3/26/07 Section: NCAA Tournament Guide
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Bruce Weber used to never get headaches. This season, though, amid the injuries, the recruiting woes, the car accident and the stress of securing an NCAA Tournament berth, he had them four or five times a week. It may have been unusual, but so too was the music that resonated from the Illini coaching staff's offices each day. They began turning to music to keep calm in light of the trials this season brought. The year was a struggle, and with each passing day, one never knew the next player that would be hindered by an injury.
Just two years removed from the Illini's trip to the Final Four and their 37-win season, it was hard for fans to sit back and watch their team try to hang with Ohio State, but even more so when they struggled against Michigan and Iowa, middle of the pack Big Ten teams at best. That's what made this year so frustrating, for fans and those who sat on press row, alike.
It seems like only yesterday that Dee Brown, Deron Williams and Luther Head took the college basketball world by storm as they held the top spot in the AP poll for 15 straight weeks. When I look at the dominant presences of Ohio State, UCLA and Florida in this year's tournament, I remember that's the way Illinois used to look to the rest of the country. They were the ones with the best backcourt in the nation and a National Coach of the Year to boot.
Don't get me wrong, I love watching Florida try to win back-to-back titles, and I certainly enjoyed watching UCLA take down No.1-seeded Kansas and its leader Bill Selfish, who has yet to coach a team to a Final Four. It was watching North Carolina, yes, the hated Tar Heels who crushed Illinois' dreams of winning its first-ever basketball national championship, which reminded me of the Illini's come-from-behind victory against Arizona in the Elite Eight in 2005. Down by 16 points early in the second half, North Carolina used its deeper-than-one-could-think-possible roster to spur its comeback against USC, who I am still trying to figure out how it rose to national prominence. But I digress. The Tar Heels showed the resolve of a Roy Williams team in refusing to quit, battling for every possession and taking advantage of second chance opportunities with short tip-ins. To say the least, I was impressed.
Just two years removed from the Illini's trip to the Final Four and their 37-win season, it was hard for fans to sit back and watch their team try to hang with Ohio State, but even more so when they struggled against Michigan and Iowa, middle of the pack Big Ten teams at best. That's what made this year so frustrating, for fans and those who sat on press row, alike.
It seems like only yesterday that Dee Brown, Deron Williams and Luther Head took the college basketball world by storm as they held the top spot in the AP poll for 15 straight weeks. When I look at the dominant presences of Ohio State, UCLA and Florida in this year's tournament, I remember that's the way Illinois used to look to the rest of the country. They were the ones with the best backcourt in the nation and a National Coach of the Year to boot.
Don't get me wrong, I love watching Florida try to win back-to-back titles, and I certainly enjoyed watching UCLA take down No.1-seeded Kansas and its leader Bill Selfish, who has yet to coach a team to a Final Four. It was watching North Carolina, yes, the hated Tar Heels who crushed Illinois' dreams of winning its first-ever basketball national championship, which reminded me of the Illini's come-from-behind victory against Arizona in the Elite Eight in 2005. Down by 16 points early in the second half, North Carolina used its deeper-than-one-could-think-possible roster to spur its comeback against USC, who I am still trying to figure out how it rose to national prominence. But I digress. The Tar Heels showed the resolve of a Roy Williams team in refusing to quit, battling for every possession and taking advantage of second chance opportunities with short tip-ins. To say the least, I was impressed.
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