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University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Illinois
Tar Heels Edged by No. 12 Illini, 68-64
November 29, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2005
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - It wasn't for the national title, and neither roster looked all that familiar. Still, Illinois got a measure of revenge.
Dee Brown scored 14 points and Brian Randle got a key rebound in the waning seconds, helping the 12th-ranked Illini hold off North Carolina 68-64 Tuesday night in a rematch of last season's NCAA championship game.
James Augustine added 13 points and 13 rebounds for Illinois (6-0), which improved to 3-4 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Illini also snapped the Tar Heels' 21-game home winning streak despite scoring only four points in the final 6 1/2 minutes.
Tyler Hansbrough led North Carolina with 17 points, and fellow freshman Marcus Ginyard had 14.
No one expected a true rematch of the final because only seven remaining players on the two teams even played in that game, won 75-70 by the Tar Heels. But this one had all the drama of a matchup in March, thanks to a furious rally led by a bunch of North Carolina freshmen.
The quartet of Hansbrough, Ginyard, Bobby Frasor and Danny Green scored all 29 points in the second half, including six clutch free throws from Hansbrough and 3-pointers by Frasor and Ginyard down the stretch.
That came during a 12-0 run to make it 64-62, and after the teams traded baskets, Illinois freshman Jamar Smith missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 17 seconds left. But Randle beat everyone to the rebound and quickly got the ball to Brown, who made two free throws to finally seal the victory.
Signs everywhere pointed to North Carolina being the defending champ, and even if any of the Illinois players missed the two banners hanging from the rafters, the students behind one basket furiously waved towels proclaiming "2005 National Champs."
It didn't seem to faze the Illini, who seemed to rally around injured coach Bruce Weber. He broke his ankle a day earlier working in his yard, and he hobbled a bit on the sidelines with a protective boot. He watched his team take the lead for good on Randle's 3-pointer to open the second half, and Illinois stayed in control until suddenly losing its shooting touch.
Illinois missed five straight shots and had three turnovers in one 5-minute stretch, losing nearly all of a 14-point lead.
But Randle finally broke the drought with a layup to make it 66-62, and after Ginyard added a jumper from the baseline, Randle got there to recover Smith's miss, saving the Illini one final time.
The Tar Heels were forced to play with an eight-man rotation when reserve point guard Quentin Thomas (stress fracture) couldn't play, and they didn't get any help in the second half from their veterans. David Noel scored all 12 of his points in the first half.
