2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball 2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini 2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team.jpg 300px Big Ten Conference Big Ten 2 1 37–2 15–1 Bruce Weber 2nd 4th 2nd 1st Wayne McClain Jay Price Tracy Webster Dee Brown Luther Head Deron Williams Dee Brown Luther Head Deron Williams Assembly Hall NCAA tournament, Runner-upBig Ten regular season & tournament champions National Championship Game L Lost 70–75 vs. North Carolina The 2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team marked the 100th season of men's basketball at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. After starting the regular season with a record of 29–0 and winning the Big Ten Conference regular season title outright at 15–1, the Illini were Big Ten tournament champions. They advanced in the NCAA tournament to the national championship, marking the school's first appearance in the championship game,https://www.newspapers.com/image/192547800 Being Tense About Past Isn't Part of Game Plan; One Team Will Make History Maybe it's pedigree that makes the Tar Heels the favorites. North Carolina is making its eighth appearance in the national title game, a place Illinois has never been. D1, D10 Diane Pucin Los Angeles Times April 4, 2005 May 13, 2022 Newspapers.com but lost to North Carolina, 75–70. They ended the season at 37–2, tying the record for most victories in a season for a men's college basketball team. Due to the final AP poll releasing before the title game, Illinois finished ranked as unanimous No. 1, the first such AP poll finish in program history.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101788970/the-des-moines-register/ Stuck on 37: Illinois misses out on history Illinois will have to settle on a tie for most victories in a season after losing monday night's title game: 37: Duke ('89, '99); Illinois ('05); UNLV ('87) Des Moines Register April 6, 2005 May 13, 20222004-2005 Week 17 Men's College Basketball Rankings https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings/_/week/17/year/2005/seasontype/2 www.espn.com 20 February 2026 Sports Illustrated voted the 2005 Illinois team as the best ever not to win a national title in 2014. Season Overview Illinois celebrated its 100th season of varsity basketball in 2004–05. In his second season as head coach at Illinois, Bruce Weber's Illini put together the most successful 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 (since surpassed by 2011–12 Kentucky with a 38–2 record and 2014–15 Kentucky with a 38–1 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 championship game for the first time in school history. Illinois finished as the national runner-up, falling by five points to North Carolina in the title game. Above all else, the team was noted for its impeccable ball movement on offense, and led the nation in assists. A constant flow of passes allowed for open looks from the three-point line on every play. Led by a three-guard starting lineup, the team did not rely upon sheer size and height like many other teams in order to dominate, but rather skill and teamwork. Illinois relied upon three-point shooting for its offensive firepower. Illinois' effective offense was largely attributable to the team chemistry that had developed amongst the starting five, which had gone unchanged over the two previous seasons. Defensively, the team was one of the best at guarding against the three-point shot. Illinois averaged 77.0 points per game, while allowing 61.1 points per game, for an average point differential of nearly 16 points. + National statistical rankings (Division I)StatisticAmountNational rankPoints scored3,0024thAssists7271stRebounding1,3389thThree-point field goals made3442ndThree-point field goal attempts8774thPoints allowed (defense)2,3828th In blowout home games, 7 ft 2 in m on senior Nick Smith, the tallest player in University of Illinois basketball history, would take three-point shots from the top of the key. He made 4 of 11 on the season. Regular season 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 number 1 overall spot in the national polls and held it for the remainder of the regular season, a run of 15 straight weeks. On January 25, 2005, Illinois defeated Wisconsin 75–65 at the Kohl Center, snapping the Badgers' nation-leading 38-game home court winning streak. In the process, Illinois handed the Badgers their first home court loss since a defeat to, coincidentally, Wake Forest, on December 4, 2002, and also assumed the nation's longest home court winning streak themselves. Illinois was ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll of 2005, another first for the program. The Illini then went on to win 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. Post-Season The Illini 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. In the NCAA tournament, the overall number 1 seeded Illini won their first three games by double digits. In an Elite Eight matchup, Illinois fell behind early to the University of Arizona due to poor shooting behind the three-point line and sensational play by Arizona's leaders Salim Stoudamire and Channing Frye. The game featured a 15-point comeback from the Illini, triggered by several steals and Deron Williams' clutch three-point shooting, including several NBA range threes, in the last 3 minutes and 30 seconds of the game.November 2020 The Illini then defeated The University of Louisville 72–57, the team's largest margin of victory in the tournament, to move on to the 2005 National Championship Game against North Carolina. In the national championship game, Illinois was defeated by North Carolina 70–75. North Carolina relied upon stellar post play from Sean May, who managed to get James Augustine and Jack Ingram into foul trouble, while Illinois struggled offensively with what had succeeded the rest of the season, converting only 12 of a championship game record 40 three-point field goal attempts. James Augustine played 9 minutes due to foul trouble, forcing Jack Ingram to play a huge role in the second half comeback the Illini made. For almost the entire season, Illinois was ranked #1 and North Carolina was ranked #2, respectively, in all polls, and both teams were the favorites to meet in the national championship game. The North Carolina squad would go on to field six players in the NBA draft. Accolades Bruce Weber was named National Coach of the Year by nine organizations. Dee Brown, "The One Man Fast Break", 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 Head being drafted No. 24 overall by the Houston Rockets while Williams became the highest Illinois player ever drafted when he was chosen No. 3 overall by the Utah Jazz. Team Roster 2004 Illinois Fighting Illini y yes Luther Head 4 G 6 3 185 SR Chicago, IL Manley High School y C Deron Williams 5 G 6 3 210 JR The Colony, TX The Colony High School y C Dee Brown 11 G 6 0 185 JR Maywood, IL Proviso East High School y Dee Brown (basketball, born 1984) C Calvin Brock 15 G 6 4 185 FR yes Chicago, IL Simeon High School n Rich McBride 33 G 6 3 215 SO Springfield, IL Lanphier High School n Fred Nkemdi 34 F 6 5 235 SR North Riverside, IL Riverside Brookfield High School/Morton Junior College n W James Augustine 40 F/C 6 10 230 JR Mokena, IL Lincoln-Way Central High School y Warren Carter 41 F 6 8 220 SO Dallas, TX Lake Highlands High School y Warren Carter (basketball) Brian Randle 42 F 6 7 210 SO yes y East Peoria, IL Notre Dame High School y Roger Powell, Jr. 43 F 6 6 235 SR Joliet, IL Joliet Central High School y Roger Powell (basketball) Marcus Arnold 44 F 6 8 250 JR yes Chicago, IL Morgan Park High School/Illinois State University n Nick Smith 45 C 7 2 250 SR y Valrico, FL Bloomingdale High School n Jack Ingram 50 F/C 6 10 245 SR y San Antonio, TX Marshall High School/University of Tulsa n Shaun Pruitt 55 F 6 8 245 FR Aurora, IL West Aurora High School y Bruce Weber (Wisconsin-Milwaukee) Wayne McClain (Illinois State) Jay Price (Kansas) Tracy Webster (Wisconsin) https://fightingillini.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/2004-05 Depth chart Illinois Fighting Illini James Augustine Nick Smith Shaun Pruitt Roger Powell, Jr. Jack Ingram Warren Carter Fred Nkemdi SG Dee Brown Rich McBride Luther Head Deron Williams Injuries Sophomore Brian Randle took a medical redshirt after punching a wall in frustration and breaking his hand during preseason practice.Randle throws a KO punch https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/11/11/randle-throws-a-ko-punch/ November 1, 2014 chicagotribune.com November 11, 2004 Records + Season records Type of record Record Overall 37–2 Regular season 29–1 Conference 15–1 Non-conference 14–0 Home 15–0 Road 9–1 Neutral 5–0 Neutral (including tournaments) 13–1 Blowouts (10+ points) 31–0 Schedule yes |- !colspan=12 style="background:#DF4E38; color:white;"| Exhibition Fri, Nov 5, 2004 7:00 pm yes 5 2004 SIU Edwardsville Cougars Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Assembly Hall Champaign, IL 78–58 16,618 Sun, Nov 14, 2004 3:00 pm yes 5 2004 Lewis University Lewis Assembly Hall Champaign, IL 92–61 16,618 |- !colspan=12 style="background:#DF4E38; color:white;"| Non-Conference regular season Fri, Nov 19, 2004 7:05 pm yes 6 Delaware State Assembly Hall Champaign, IL 87–67 1–0 16,618 Sun, Nov 21, 2004 1:00 pm yes 6 2004 Florida A&M Rattlers Florida A&M Assembly Hall Champaign, IL 91–60 2–0 15,518 Wed, Nov 24, 2004 7:05 pm yes 5 Oakland Assembly Hall Champaign, IL ESPN Plus 85–54 3–0 13,932 Sat, Nov 27, 2004 1:00 pm yes yes 5 Gonzaga 24 Conseco Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN WBBM 89–72 4–0 14,183 Wed, Dec 1, 2004 6:05 pm yes 5 Wake Forest 1 ACC-Big Ten Challenge Assembly Hall Champaign, IL ESPN 91–73 5–0 16,618 Sat, Dec 4, 2004 1:00 pm yes yes 5 Arkansas Alltel Arena North Little Rock, AR ESPN 72–60 6–0 13,140 Mon, Dec 6, 2004 7:05 pm yes 1 2004 Chicago State Cougars Chicago State Assembly Hall Champaign, IL ESPN Plus 78–59 7–0 16,618 Thu, Dec 9, 2004 7:30 pm yes yes 1 Georgetown MCI Center Washington, DC ESPN Plus 74–59 8–0 12,401 Sat, Dec 11, 2004 1:00 pm yes yes 1 2004 Oregon Ducks Oregon United Center Chicago, IL ESPN 83–66 9–0 21,224 Sun, Dec 19, 2004 4:00 pm yes 1 2004 Valparaiso Crusaders Valparaiso Assembly Hall Champaign, IL 93–56 10–0 16,618 Wed, Dec 22, 2004 7:05 pm yes yes 1 2004 Missouri Tigers Missouri Braggin' Rights Savvis Center St. Louis, MO ESPN2 70–64 11–0 22,153 Mon, Dec 27, 2004 7:05 pm yes 1 2004 Longwood Lancers Longwood Assembly Hall Champaign, IL 105–79 12–0 16,618 Thu, Dec 30, 2004 4:00 pm yes yes 1 2004 Northwestern State Demons Northwestern State Las Vegas Holiday Classic Valley High Las Vegas, NV FSN 69–51 13–0 2,500 Fri, Dec 31, 2004 5:00 pm yes yes 1 Cincinnati 22 Las Vegas Holiday Classic Valley High Las Vegas, NV FSN 67–45 14–0 2,500 |- !colspan=12 style="background:#DF4E38; color:#FFFFFF;"|Big Ten regular season Wed, Jan 5, 2005 8:05 pm 1 Ohio State Assembly Hall Champaign, IL ESPN Plus 84–65 15–0 1–0 16,618 Sat, Jan 8, 2005 4:00 pm yes 1 Purdue Mackey Arena West Lafayette, IN CBS 68–59 16–0 2–0 14,123 Wed, Jan 12, 2005 8:00 pm 1 2004 Penn State Nittany Lions Penn State Assembly Hall Champaign, IL ESPN Plus 90–64 17–0 3–0 16,618 Sat, Jan 15, 2005 3:30 pm yes 1 2004 Northwestern Wildcats Northwestern Welsh-Ryan Arena Rivalry Evanston, IL ESPN Plus 78–66 18–0 4–0 8,117 Thu, Jan 20, 2005 6:00 pm 1 Iowa 23 Assembly Hall Champaign, IL Rivalry ESPN 73–68 OT 19–0 5–0 16,618 Tue, Jan 25, 2005 8:00 pm yes 1 Wisconsin 18 Kohl Center Madison, WI ESPN 75–65 20–0 6–0 17,142 Sat, Jan 29, 2005 1:30 pm 1 Minnesota Assembly Hall Champaign, IL ESPN Plus 89–66 21–0 7–0 16,694 Tue, Feb 1, 2005 7:05 pm yes 1 Michigan State 12 Breslin Center East Lansing, MI ESPN 81–68 22–0 8–0 14,759 Sun, Feb 6, 2005 12:00 pm 1 Indiana Assembly Hall Champaign, IL Rivalry CBS 60–47 23–0 9–0 16,618 Tue, Feb 8, 2005 7:05 pm yes 1 Michigan Crisler Arena Ann Arbor, MI ESPN 57–51 24–0 10–0 13,751 Sat, Feb 12, 2005 12:00 pm 1 Wisconsin 20 Assembly Hall Champaign, IL CBS 70–59 25–0 11–0 16,865 Wed, Feb 16, 2005 8:05 pm yes 1 Penn State Bryce Jordan Center University Park, PA ESPN Plus 83–63 26–0 12–0 10,966 Sat, Feb 19, 2005 11:05 am yes 1 Iowa Carver-Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, IA Rivalry ESPN 75–65 27–0 13–0 15,500 Wed, Feb 23, 2005 7:05 pm 1 Northwestern Assembly Hall Rivalry Champaign, IL ESPN Plus 84–48 28–0 14–0 16,618 Thu, Mar 3, 2005 8:00 pm 1 Purdue Assembly Hall Champaign, IL ESPN2 84–50 29–0 15–0 16,618 Sun, Mar 6, 2005 12:00 pm yes 1 Ohio State Value City Arena Columbus, OH CBS 64–65 29–1 15–1 19,200 |- !colspan=9 style="text-align: center; background:#DF4E38"|Big Ten tournament Fri, Mar 11, 2005 11:00 am 1 yes 1 8 Northwestern Quarterfinals United Center Chicago, IL ESPN 68–51 30–1 22,413 Sat, Mar 12, 2005 11:00 am 1 yes 1 5 Minnesota Semifinals United Center Chicago, IL CBS 64–56 31–1 23,697 Sun, Mar 13, 2005 12:00 pm 1 yes 1 3 Wisconsin Championship Game 23 United Center Chicago, IL CBS 54–43 32–1 22,157 |- !colspan=9 style="text-align: center; background:#DF4E38"|NCAA tournament Thu, Mar 17, 2005 9:40 pm yes yes 1 1 C Fairleigh Dickinson First Round 16 C RCA Dome Indianapolis, IN CBS 67–55 33–1 26,804 Sat, Mar 19, 2005 5:40 pm yes yes 1 1 C Nevada Second Round 9 C RCA Dome Indianapolis, IN CBS 71–59 34–1 40,331 Thu, Mar 24, 2005 6:27 pm yes yes 1 1 C Milwaukee Sweet Sixteen 12 C Allstate Arena Rosemont, IL CBS 77–63 35–1 16,957 Sat, Mar 26, 2005 5:40 pm yes yes 1 1 C Arizona Elite Eight 9 3 C Allstate Arena Rosemont, IL CBS 90–89 OT 36–1 16,957 Sat, Apr 2, 2005 5:07 pm yes yes 1 1 C Louisville Final Four 4 4 A Edward Jones Dome St. Louis, MO CBS 72–57 37–1 47,754 Mon, Apr 4, 2005 8:21 pm yes yes 1 1 C North Carolina National Championship 3 1 S Edward Jones Dome St. Louis, MO CBS 70–75 37–2 47,262 Central Time Rankings 2004–05 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings 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 + Statistics2004-05 Illinois Season Statistics https://web.archive.org/web/20090324210724/http://www.fightingillini.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2004-2005/0405-cume-stats.html 2009-03-24 , FightingIllini.com 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 James Augustine Big Ten tournament Most Outstanding Player Dee Brown Consensus All-American 1st team United States Basketball Writers Association 1st team All-American Sporting News National Player of the Year Big Ten Player of the Year Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Associated Press 2nd team All-American National Basketball Coaches Association 2nd team All-American Team Co-Most Valuable Player http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ill/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/05_mbb_guide_06.pdf List of MVPs 2013-01-15 2014-10-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20141030004049/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ill/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/05_mbb_guide_06.pdf dead Luther Head Consensus All-American 2nd team Associated Press 2nd team All-American United States Basketball Writers Association 1st team All-American National Basketball Coaches Association 2nd team All-American NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team Team Co-Most Valuable Player http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ill/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/05_mbb_guide_06.pdf List of MVPs 2013-01-15 2014-10-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20141030004049/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ill/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/05_mbb_guide_06.pdf dead Deron Williams Consensus All-American 2nd team National Basketball Coaches Association 2nd team All-American Sporting News 2nd team All-American Associated Press 3rd team All-American NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team NCAA Tournament Regional Most Outstanding Player Team Co-Most Valuable Player http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ill/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/05_mbb_guide_06.pdf List of MVPs 2013-01-15 2014-10-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20141030004049/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ill/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/05_mbb_guide_06.pdf dead Bruce Weber National Coach of the Year Big Ten Coach of the Year Team players drafted into the NBA YearPlayerNBA ClubRoundPick 2005 Deron Williams Utah Jazz 1 3 2005 Luther Head Houston Rockets 1 24 2006 James Augustine Orlando Magic 2 41 2006 Dee Brown Utah Jazz 2 462005 NBA draft References External links Season statistics Illinois Fighting Illini Category:Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball seasons Illinois Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons Category:Big Ten men's basketball tournament championship seasons Illinois Illinois