ROSEMONT, Illinois, 26 March 2005 — Deron Williams and Dee Brown gave upstart Wisconsin-Milwaukee all it could handle and then some Thursday, combining for 42 points, 10 assists and some nasty defense to lead Illinois to a 77-63 victory and a spot in the Chicago Regional finals.
Williams had 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting and eight assists. Brown scored 15 of his 21 from 3-point range, and had two assists and two steals. Roger Powell Jr. and Luther Head added 12 each, and James Augustine finished with 11.
The top-seeded Illini (35-1) will play Arizona on Saturday for a chance to go to their first Final Four since 1989.
The victory was some payback for Illinois fans, who still harbor a grudge against UWM coach Bruce Pearl for the role he played in a recruiting scandal some 15 years ago. Pearl gave the US college sports governing body, the NCAA, a tape of a secretly recorded phone call in 1989, touching off a 16-month investigation. Illinois was cleared of the most serious violations, but had to skip the 1991 postseason.€
Arizona 79, Oklahoma State 78
At Rosemont, Illinois, Salim Stoudamire hit an off-balance jumper from the left side with 2.8 seconds left, sending Arizona within one win of the Final Four.
When John Lucas’ last-ditch attempt went off the rim at the buzzer, the Wildcats had another memorable victory under coach Lute Olson. Arizona (30-6) will meet top-seeded Illinois on Saturday for a trip to St. Louis.
Joey Graham, who led Oklahoma State (26-7) with 26 points, drove to the middle, lowered his shoulder and dropped in a short shot from the lane to give OSU a 78-77 lead with 18.8 seconds left.
Louisville 93, Washington 79
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Francisco Garcia went on a shooting tear, leading Rick Pitino and underrated, fourth-seeded Louisville into the regional finals.
This was billed as a matchup between Washington (29-5), the team trying to prove it really did deserve a top seed, and Louisville (32-4), the team that couldn’t believe it was only a No. 4.
