Being Tense About Past Isn’t Part of Game Plan

In 100 years of playing basketball, Illinois has never won a national championship, never even played in the title game. But history isn’t something to preoccupy any of the mighty 2005 Illini.

“I haven’t played all those 100 years,” guard Luther Head said. “History doesn’t mean anything to me.”

In 17 years of coaching and molding nationally ranked and admired teams and building a Hall of Fame resume, North Carolina Coach Roy Williams has never won a national championship.

“But I’ve never been in a national championship game with Roy Williams,” said Tar Heel senior Jawad Williams. “What happened last year or last decade doesn’t matter. What happens [tonight], that’s what I care about.”

For the first time since 1975, when No. 1-ranked UCLA beat No. 2 Kentucky in the final, the top two teams in the Associated Press rankings will play for the national championship when No. 1 Illinois (37-1) faces No. 2 North Carolina (32-4) at the Edward Jones Dome.

Even though they are only eight seconds and one desperation three-pointer away from aiming to become the first undefeated national champion since Indiana in 1976, the Illini are betting underdogs to the Tar Heels, who won their last championship in 1993.

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. North Carolina owns three championship trophies.

Maybe it’s coaching credentials. Roy Williams has the highest winning percentage (nearly 80%) of any active coach with at least 10 years’ experience.

Meanwhile, Illinois’ second-year coach, Bruce Weber, came to Sunday’s national media session carrying a tattered folder overflowing with smudged papers and messy drawings. His playbook.

“My kids keep wanting to knock it out of my hands,” said Weber, who seemed surprised someone would think he needed a briefcase.

What the Illini are tired of hearing is that they are underdogs because they play with some ill-defined and sweetly outdated concept -- teamwork -- but the opponents, this time North Carolina, possess something more desired -- talent.

“We’ve been underestimated all year,” Illinois guard Dee Brown said. “We’ve been No. 1 for most of the year and lots of people didn’t think we’d get this far. Everybody says North Carolina’s got the talent and all we have is teamwork. Well, we’ve got some talent too.”

Weber also said he was a little peeved at the characterization of his Illini as some sort of “old-school” throwback team that runs weaves and shoots set shots.

“We are old school, I guess, but we’re also new school,” Weber said. “Watch us. We push it. We guard. We do a little bit of everything. We win with a lot of different styles. We ran Wake Forest out of the gym, we ran Gonzaga out of the gym. Then we held Wisconsin to 43 points. Two weeks later they get [82] against North Carolina.”

Indeed, the Illini won 10 games in which they scored 85 or more points this season. And they’ve won scoring 60 or fewer three times.

“Our style isn’t one thing,” forward Roger Powell Jr. said. “It’s about taking stock of a game and doing what it takes to win. You’ve got to have talent to do that.”

And some of the Tar Heels said it was wrong to assume they were all about winning on their singular athletic skills instead of doing the hard work that goes into assimilating their physical strengths.

“I think we play as a team,” guard Jackie Manuel said. “Yes, we have more of the so-called McDonald’s All-America guys on this team but we also have a coach who has a game plan. We practice every day. We’re a team too.”

There is no debating North Carolina’s style, though. The Tar Heels are the highest-scoring NCAA Division I team. They average 88 points a game. Point guard Raymond Felton will run 40 minutes if he can. Sometimes it seems as if forward Rashad McCants quits playing defense just so he can get to playing offense quicker. And the Tar Heels don’t lack confidence.

“I feel Dee Brown, even being as quick as he is, our length will be able to bother him,” McCants said. “And Deron Williams, as quick as he is, I think Raymond will be able to contain him. Luther Head, as high as he can jump, as fast as he can run, I think I’ll be able to defend him.”

That’s the way it has been for 38 games already this year.

“Everybody thinks they can stop us,” Head said. “I guess all I can say is, let’s go play.”

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Most Victories

A victory tonight would give Illinois the most victories in a men’s college basketball season. Most victories:

* 37: Illinois, 2005; Duke, 1986, 1999; Nevada Las Vegas, 1987.

* 36: Kentucky, 1948.

* 35: Arizona, 1988; Duke, 2001; Georgetown, 1985; Kansas, 1986, 1998; Kentucky, 1997, 1998; Massachusetts, 1996; Nevada Las Vegas, 1990; Oklahoma, 1988.

* 34: Arkansas, 1991; Connecticut, 1999; Duke, 1992; Georgetown, 1984; Kansas, 1997; Kentucky, 1947, 1996; Nevada Las Vegas, 1991; North Carolina, 1993, 1998.