Last time Illinois made the Final Four: Revisiting 2005 March Madness run led by Deron Williams

Last time Illinois made the Final Four: Revisiting 2005 March Madness run led by Deron Williams originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Illinois isn’t a blueblood basketball program, but the Fighting Illini are very consistent at making the postseason, whether it be the NIT or the NCAA Tournament

Advertisement

Illinois qualified for the 2026 NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed. Head coach Brad Underwood has led the Fighting Illini to the Final Four for the first time since 2005. That year, Illinois only had one loss during the regular season and won the Big Ten conference championship. The Fighting Illini made it all the way to the national championship in 2005, but came up just short against North Carolina.

Here is more on the last time that Illinois was in the Final Four.

MARCH MADNESS HQ:Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Latest news and more

Last time Illinois made Final Four

The last time that Illinois made the Final Four was in 2005. The Fighting Illini were an undefeated 29-0 heading into their final regular-season game against Ohio State. Illinois lost to the Buckeyes 65-64, but used the loss as motivation as the Fighting Illini ran through the Big Ten Conference Tournament and earned an automatic bid to the 2005 NCAA Tournament.

Advertisement

As a No. 1 seed, Illinois moved past No. 16 Farleigh Dickinson, No. 9 Nevada and No. 12 UM-Milwaukee in its first three games. In the Elite Eight, No. 1 Illinois survived against No. 3 Arizona 90-89 in overtime. The Fighting Illini then played No. 4 Louisville in the Final Four and won by 15 points. Illinois advanced to the national championship against No. 1 North Carolina and suffered its second loss of the season, 75-70, as the Tar Heels cut down the nets.

MORE: Picks, predictions against the spread for the 2026 Final Four

2005 Illinois basketball roster

Here is a look at every player who played for Illinois in the 2024-2005 season.

Player

PPG

Year

Luther Head

15.9

Sr.

Dee…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/last-time-illinois-made-final-090001737.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-04-03 09:00:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.