March 26, 2005 - Elite 8 - 1 Illinois vs 3 Arizona

The 2005 Elite 8 matchup between Arizona and Illinois is thought of by some to be one of the best regional final games in NCAA Tournament history. It's one of those games where all of the stars aligned for a great March Madness moment that fans of the sport live for. 

The Fighting Illini had its best season in school history led by the legendary backcourt of Deron Williams, Dee Brown, and Luther Head. Add to that their road to the Final Four went through  Rosemont Horizon and it was a great moment for the storied Big Ten program and this number one seed.   On the other side was the 3-seed Arizona Wildcats led by legendary coach Lute Olsen, dynamic point guard Salim Stoudamire, and future pro Channing Frye. Hassan Adams also had a great game in this particular matchup as well.    In this episode we discuss: How great this Illini team was The backcourt of Williams, Brown and Head and how it was trendsetting for the next generation of college basketball Lute Olsen and Bill Weber Bilas and Enberg on the call The Illini’s legendary comeback Pesky Arizona never giving an inch Stoudamire's underrated season The eventual UNC v Illinois championship game

We talk all this and more on this episode of Distant Replay. If you'd like to watch this game as it aired on CBS, we have it for you here: https://distantreplaypodcast.com/ep-69-2005-ncaa-tourney-elite-8-1-illinois-vs-3-arizona/ 

The 2005 Elite 8 matchup between Arizona and Illinois is thought of by some to be one of the best regional final games in NCAA Tournament history. It's one of those games where all of the stars aligned for a great March Madness moment that fans of the sport live for. 

The Fighting Illini had its best season in school history led by the legendary backcourt of Deron Williams, Dee Brown, and Luther Head. Add to that their road to the Final Four went through  Rosemont Horizon and it was a great moment for the storied Big Ten program and this number one seed.   On the other side was the 3-seed Arizona Wildcats led by legendary coach Lute Olsen, dynamic point guard Salim Stoudamire, and future pro Channing Frye. Hassan Adams also had a great game in this particular matchup as well.    In this episode we discuss: How great this Illini team was The backcourt of Williams, Brown and Head and how it was trendsetting for the next generation of college basketball Lute Olsen and Bill Weber Bilas and Enberg on the call The Illini’s legendary comeback Pesky Arizona never giving an inch Stoudamire's underrated season The eventual UNC v Illinois championship game

We talk all this and more on this episode of Distant Replay. If you'd like to watch this game as it aired on CBS, we have it for you here: https://distantreplaypodcast.com/ep-69-2005-ncaa-tourney-elite-8-1-illinois-vs-3-arizona/