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Illinois receives No. 1 seed
in NCAA tourney!

By Greg Taylor

[MARCH 12, 2001]  After Illinois lost 58-56 to Indiana on Saturday at the Big Ten tourney, most of the press gathered at the United Center were of the same mindset: Illinois had lost their chance to earn a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tourney. The LDN says thank goodness a bunch of over-hyped sportswriters don’t get to decide the seeds. Despite a poor showing on Saturday, Illinois still earned one of four coveted No. 1 seeds — in fact, they were sent to the closest of the eight first-and second-round sites: Dayton, Ohio.

Illinois will open action on Friday in Dayton against the winner of Tuesday’s game between Winthrop and Northwestern State, the teams that were rated No. 64 and No. 65 in the 65-team field. Other games being played in the Midwest regional in Dayton include Tennessee vs. Charlotte (Illinois will play the winner in round two), Syracuse vs. Hawaii and Kansas vs. California State-Northridge. Second-round games in Dayton will be played on Sunday.

 

The Big Ten received two No. 1 seeds, as Michigan State was given the top billing in the South region, and seven bids overall, the highest of any conference in the land. The other two No. 1 seeds were given to Duke, in the East, and Stanford, the top team in the West. One other state school also received an NCAA bid, as Eastern Illinois was given the No. 15 seed in the Midwest regional and will open play on Friday in Kansas City against No. 2 seed Arizona. Both Bradley and Illinois State should receive NIT bids early Monday morning.

Illini players and coaches were both excited and grateful after the announcement of the pairings. The LDN looks at four factors that helped Illinois secure this top seed: First, Illinois finished the season very strong, going 8-2 in the final 10 games. Second, Illinois won the regular season conference title and beat co-champion Michigan State in the teams’ only meeting during the season. Third, other conference champions lost early in their respective tournaments, including Iowa State and Florida. And finally, North Carolina, the best of the four No. 2 seeds, lost by 26 points on Sunday to Duke and limped to the finish line, going a very average 4-4 over their final three weeks of the season.

 

[to top of second column in this article]

So what does all of this mean for Illini fans who are ready for some March success in the land of Lincoln? Four things: First, if Illinois brings their A game each round, very few teams will be able to beat them. However, Illinois has struggled to string together successive A’s throughout the season. Second, Illinois could not have received a better seed, as many of the so-called experts feel the Midwest region is the weakest of the four regions, thus giving Illinois a great chance to enjoy a deep NCAA run. Third, look for a third game this season versus Arizona — on March 25 in San Antonio — with the winner going to the Final Four (Illinois lost to Arizona in Hawaii by three and beat them in Chicago by eight points in December). And finally, Illinois is the deepest team in their region and one of the deepest teams in the tournament — a fact that will come into play at some point in the tourney.

Illinois fans all across the state are ready for the games to begin. Illinois players cannot wait for the games to begin. What else needs to be said? GO ILLINOIS!!!!

Illini notes

  • LDN sends out congratulations to Illini assistant coach Rob Judson, who was named head coach at Northern Illinois University on Tuesday. Coach Judson will be seriously missed in Champaign but deeply deserves this opportunity. Rob is one of the nicest guys in the game and will find success in DeKalb. And don’t be surprised to see coach Judson return to Champaign someday — this time as head coach.
  • Tickets for the Dayton regional are sold out, and have been for quite a while.
  • The buzz in Chicago had Indiana naming Mike Davis head coach.
  • The buzz in Chicago had Michigan firing coach Brian Ellerbe and going after either Seton Hall’s Tommy Amaker or former Kentucky coach Rick Pitino.
  • Illinois has an all-time record of 7-4 in the Big Ten tourney.

[Greg Taylor]

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Lincoln Daily News.com


Illini enter heartbreak hotel

But loss doesn't hamper No. 1 seed in the Midwest

By Jeff Mayfield

[MARCH 12, 2001]  Illinois lost a heartbreaking 58-56 semifinal game to Indiana Saturday afternoon in a game that the Hoosiers just seemed destined to win. It was a physical, rough-and-tumble contest that seemed to favor the opponents. Kirk Haston did block a last-second shot put up by Frank Williams, but the game was lost long before that.

A lethargic stretch early in the second half allowed IU to build a cushion that they never relinquished. It was so ugly that the Illini shot only 33 percent from the field and committed 12 costly turnovers. Illinois had only one player in double figures, Frank Williams with 14. Lincoln's Brian Cook did come up big with nine points and five rebounds but didn't seem to get the ball enough to help our cause even more.

 

[to top of second column in this article]

Apparently the loss did not sway the NCAA selection committee (see Greg Taylor's article) too much, as they still rewarded the Illini's season-long, hard-fought Big Ten championship with a No. 1 seed in the Midwest! That means that Illinois will take on the winner of Tuesday night's game between Northwestern State and Winthrop. That game is scheduled to tip off at 11:10 on Friday morning.

GO ILLINI!

[Jeff Mayfield]

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