2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
Big Ten regular season & tournament champions
Conference Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches #2
AP #1
2004–05 record 37–2 (15–1 Big Ten)
Head coach Bruce Weber
Assistant coach Wayne McClain
Assistant coach Jay Price
Assistant coach Tracy Webster
MVP Dee Brown
Luther Head
Deron Williams
Captain Dee Brown
Luther Head
Deron Williams
Home arena Assembly Hall
2004–05 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT
#1 Illinois † 15 – 1   .938     37 – 2   .949
#15 Michigan State 13 – 3   .813     26 – 6   .813
#20 Wisconsin 11 – 5   .688     25 – 9   .735
Indiana 10 – 6   .625     15 – 14   .517
Minnesota 10 – 6   .625     21 – 11   .656
Ohio State 8 – 8   .500     20 – 12   .625
Iowa 7 – 9   .438     21 – 12   .636
Northwestern 6 – 10   .375     15 – 16   .484
Michigan 4 – 12   .250     13 – 18   .419
Purdue 3 – 13   .188     7 – 21   .250
Penn State 1 – 15   .063     7 – 23   .233
† 2005 Big Ten Tournament winner
As of March 15, 2005; Rankings from AP Poll[1]

The 2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team, the 100th season of men's basketball at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in recent college history. After starting the regular season with a record of 29–0, dominating opponents throughout, and winning the Big Ten Conference regular season title outright, the Illini were Big Ten Tournament champions and advanced in the 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament to the National Championship, where they lost to the University of North Carolina Tar Heels 75–70. They ended the season with a conference record of 15–1, and an overall record of 37–2, tying the NCAA record for most wins in a season. In 2014, Sports Illustrated voted the 2005 Illinois team as the best team ever to not win a title.

Regular season

A promotional image from the 2004-05 season featuring Dee Brown, Luther Head, and Deron Williams.

Illinois celebrated its 100th season of varsity basketball in style in 2004-05. In his second season as head coach at Illinois, Bruce Weber’s Illini made the centennial year magical, putting together the finest season in U of I history. The Illini tied the all-time NCAA record for victories in a season with 37 wins en route to its 37-2 record. Illinois made its fifth all-time NCAA Final Four appearance and first since 1989. The Illini defeated Louisville in the national semifinal to advance to the NCAA Championship game for the first time in school history. Illinois finished as the national runnerup, falling to North Carolina in the title game. The Illini started the season by setting a school record with 29 straight wins, the third best start in Big Ten history and tying the 12th best start in NCAA annals. Illinois won its second-ever game over a No. 1-ranked opponent, crushing Wake Forest 91-73 at the Assembly Hall on December 1. After the win, the Illini took over the top spot in the national polls and held it for the remainder of the regular season, an amazing run of 15 straight weeks. Illinois was ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll of 2005, another first for the program. The Illini cruised to its second straight outright Big Ten Championship with a 15-1 record, as Weber became the first coach in 100 years of Big Ten basketball to win consecutive outright league championships in his first two seasons. The Illini also won the Big Ten Tournament, becoming just the second team to win both an outright Big Ten regular season title and the Big Ten Tournament in the same season. Bruce Weber swept all the coaching accolades imaginable in 2005, being named National Coach of the Year by nine organizations. Dee Brown was named The Sporting News National Player of the Year and swept the conference honors as well, being named both Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. The Illini had three players earn consensus All-America honors in the same season for the first time ever. In addition to Brown earning consensus first-team All-America honors, Deron Williams and Luther Head were named consensus second-team All-Americans. Following the season, both Williams and Head were chosen in the first round of the NBA Draft, with Williams becoming the highest Illinois player ever drafted when he was chosen No. 3 overall by the Utah Jazz.

Team

Roster

2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year High School/Junior College Home town
G 4 Head, LutherLuther Head (C) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Manley Chicago, IL
G 5 Williams, DeronDeron Williams (C) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 210 lb (95 kg) Jr The Colony The Colony, TX
G 11 Brown, DeeDee Brown (C) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Proviso East Maywood, IL
G 15 Brock, CalvinCalvin Brock style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Simeon Career Academy Chicago, IL
G 33 McBride, RichRich McBride style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 215 lb (98 kg) So Lanphier Springfield, IL
F 34 Nkemdi, FredFred Nkemdi (W) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Riverside-Brookfield/Morton Junior College North Riverside, IL
F 40 Augustine, JamesJames Augustine style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Lincoln-Way Central Mokena, IL
F 41 Carter, WarrenWarren Carter style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 220 lb (100 kg) So Lake Highlands Dallas, TX
F 42 Randle, BrianBrian Randle   style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 210 lb (95 kg) RS So Notre Dame East Peoria, IL
F 43 Powell, Jr., RogerRoger Powell, Jr. style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Joliet Central Joliet, IL
F 44 Arnold, MarcusMarcus Arnold  style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 250 lb (113 kg) RS Jr Morgan Park/Illinois State Chicago, IL
C 45 Smith, NickNick Smith style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 250 lb (113 kg) RS Sr Bloomingdale Valrico, FL
F/C 50 Ingram, JackJack Ingram style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 245 lb (111 kg) RS Sr Marshall/Tulsa San Antonio, TX
F 55 Pruitt, ShaunShaun Pruitt style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 245 lb (111 kg) Fr West Aurora Aurora, IL
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Starting lineup

Bench

Schedule

Date Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (Attendance)
Exhibition
Fri, Nov 5* #5 Southern Illinois-Edwardsville W 78–58  Assembly Hall (16,618)
Sun, Nov 14* #5 Lewis W 92–61  Assembly Hall (16,618)
Regular Season
Fri, Nov 19* #6 Delaware State W 87–67  1–0 Assembly Hall (16,618)
Sun, Nov 21* #6 Florida A&M W 91–60  2–0 Assembly Hall (15,518)
Wed, Nov 24* #5 Oakland W 85–54  3–0 Assembly Hall (13,932)
Sat, Nov 27* #5 vs. #24 Gonzaga W 89–72  4–0 Conseco Fieldhouse (14,183)
Wed, Dec 1* #5 #1 Wake Forest W 91–73  5–0 Assembly Hall (16,618)
Sat, Dec 4* #5 at Arkansas W 72–60  6–0 Alltel Arena (13,140)
Mon, Dec 6* #5 Chicago State W 78–59  7–0 Assembly Hall (16,618)
Thu, Dec 9* #1 at Georgetown W 74–59  8–0 MCI Center (12,401)
Sat, Dec 11* #1 vs. Oregon W 83–66  9–0 United Center (21,224)
Sun, Dec 19* #1 Valparaiso W 93–56  10–0 Assembly Hall (16,618)
Wed, Dec 22* #1 vs. Missouri W 70–64  11–0 Savvis Center (22,153)
Mon, Dec 27* #1 Longwood W 105–79  12–0 Assembly Hall (16,618)
Thu, Dec 30* #1 vs. Northwestern State W 69–51  13–0 Valley High (2,500)
Fri, Dec 31* #1 vs. #22 Cincinnati W 67–45  14–0 Valley High (2,500)
Wed, Jan 5 #1 Ohio State W 84–65  15–0 (1–0) Assembly Hall (16,618)
Sat, Jan 8 #1 at Purdue W 68–59  16–0 (2–0) Mackey Arena (14,123)
Wed, Jan 12 #1 Penn State W 90–64  17–0 (3–0) Assembly Hall (16,618)
Sat, Jan 15 #1 at Northwestern W 78–66  18–0 (4–0) Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
Thu, Jan 20 #1 #23 Iowa W 73–68 OT 19–0 (5–0) Assembly Hall (16,618)
Tue, Jan 25 #1 at #18 Wisconsin W 75–65  20–0 (6–0) Kohl Center (17,142)
Sat, Jan 29 #1 Minnesota W 89–66  21–0 (7–0) Assembly Hall (16,694)
Tue, Feb 1 #1 at #12 Michigan State W 81–68  22–0 (8–0) Breslin Center (14,759)
Sun, Feb 6 #1 Indiana W 60–47  23–0 (9–0) Assembly Hall (16,618)
Tue, Feb 8 #1 at Michigan W 57–51  24–0 (10–0) Crisler Arena (13,751)
Sat, Feb 12 #1 #20 Wisconsin W 70–59  25–0 (11–0) Assembly Hall (16,865)
Wed, Feb 16 #1 at Penn State W 83–63  26–0 (12–0) Bryce Jordan Center (10,966)
Sat, Feb 19 #1 at Iowa W 75–65  27–0 (13–0) Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500)
Wed, Feb 23 #1 Northwestern W 84–48  28–0 (14–0) Assembly Hall (16,618)
Thu, Mar 3 #1 Purdue W 84–50  29–0 (15–0) Assembly Hall (16,618)
Sun, Mar 6 #1 at Ohio State L 64–65  29–1 (15–1) Value City Arena (19,200)
Big Ten Tournament
Fri, Mar 11 #1 vs. Northwestern (Quarterfinals) W 68–51  30–1 United Center (22,413)
Sat, Mar 12 #1 vs. Minnesota (Semifinals) W 64–56  31–1 United Center (23,697)
Sun, Mar 13 #1 vs. #23 Wisconsin (Championship) W 54–43  32–1 United Center (22,157)
NCAA Tournament
Thu, Mar 17* #1 (1) vs. (16) Farleigh Dickinson (First Round) W 67–55  33–1 RCA Dome (26,804)
Sat, Mar 19* #1 (1) vs. (9) Nevada (Second Round) W 71–59  34–1 RCA Dome (40,331)
Thu, Mar 24* #1 (1) vs. (12) Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Sweet Sixteen) W 77–63  35–1 Allstate Arena (16,957)
Sat, Mar 26* #1 (1) vs. #9 (3) Arizona (Elite Eight) W 90–89 OT 36–1 Allstate Arena (16,957)
Sat, Apr 2* #1 (1) vs. #4 (4) Louisville (Final Four) W 72–57  37–1 Edward Jones Dome (47,754)
Mon, Apr 4* #1 (1) vs. #2 (1) North Carolina (Championship) L 70–75  37–2 Edward Jones Dome (47,262)
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. ( ) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Season Statistics

Legend
  GP  Games played   GS  Games started  Avg  Average per game
  FG  Field-goals made  FGA  Field-goal attempts  Off  Offensive rebounds
 Def  Defensive rebounds   A  Assists   TO Turnovers
 Blk  Blocks  Stl  Steals  High  Team high
Statistics[2]
Minutes Scoring Total FGs 3-point FGs Free-Throws Rebounds
Player GP GS Tot Avg Pts Avg FG FGA Pct 3FG 3FA Pct FT FTA Pct Off Def Tot Avg A TO Blk Stl
Head, Luther 39 39 1297 33.3 622 15.9 214 462 .463 116 283 .410 78 99 .788 24 131 155 4.0 150 69 9 67
Brown, Dee 39 39 1272 32.6 518 13.3 179 359 .499 99 228 .434 61 79 .772 21 83 104 2.7 177 73 3 70
Williams, Deron 39 39 1315 33.7 489 12.5 178 411 .433 68 187 .364 65 96 .677 14 128 142 3.6 264 109 8 38
Powell, Roger 39 39 979 25.1 467 12.0 175 319 .549 20 52 .385 97 133 .729 103 119 222 5.7 16 42 9 25
Augustine, James 39 39 1037 26.6 392 10.1 141 227 .621 0 0 .000 110 147 .748 100 195 295 7.6 43 46 46 36
Ingram, Jack 39 0 589 15.1 174 4.5 71 150 .473 9 23 .391 23 29 .793 51 56 107 2.7 17 15 20 26
Smith, Nick 38 0 413 10.9 127 3.3 54 133 .406 4 11 .364 15 23 .652 20 58 78 2.1 24 21 18 11
McBride, Rich 38 0 546 14.4 98 2.6 32 99 .323 27 87 .310 7 7 1.000 16 35 51 1.3 29 19 2 15
Carter, Warren 33 0 261 7.9 74 2.2 32 62 .516 1 6 .167 9 19 .474 19 39 58 1.8 5 14 6 9
Pruitt, Shaun 21 0 97 4.6 29 1.4 10 26 .385 0 0 .000 9 18 .500 10 9 19 0.9 0 10 1 3
Nkemdi, Fred 18 0 44 2.4 12 0.7 6 10 .600 0 0 .000 0 1 .000 4 2 6 0.3 2 6 1 0
Team 43 58 101 4
Total 39 7850 3002 77.0 1092 2258 .484 344 877 .392 474 651 .728 425 913 1338 34.3 727 428 123 300
Opponents 39 7850 2382 61.1 869 2094 .415 233 651 .358 411 618 .665 407 815 1222 31.3 482 580 99 196

Awards and honors

Team players drafted into the NBA

Year Round Pick Player NBA Club
2005 1 3 Deron Williams Utah Jazz
2005 1 24 Luther Head Houston Rockets
2006 2 41 James Augustine Orlando Magic
2006 2 46 Dee Brown Utah Jazz

[6]

Rankings

References

  1. ↑ "2005 Final AP Men's Basketball Poll". College Poll Archive. March 15, 2005.
  2. ↑ 2004-05 Illinois Season Statistics, FightingIllini.com
  3. ↑ List of MVPs
  4. ↑ List of MVPs
  5. ↑ List of MVPs
  6. ↑ 2005 NBA Draft

External links