Illinois Doesn’t Let Its Guard Down in Win
Dee Brown, Deron Williams and Luther Head are a tag-team trio of guards, and they have brought Illinois within a step of the Final Four.
When one of the three stumbles, someone else picks him up. That was what happened Thursday in a 77-63 victory over Wisconsin Milwaukee in front of 16,957 at Allstate Arena that sends the top-seeded Illini into the Chicago Regional final Saturday against Arizona.
This time it was Head, the Illini’s leading scorer, who was at less than his best, struggling with a sore hamstring after tweaking it during Monday’s practice.
Illinois Coach Bruce Weber revealed after the game he had been uncertain Wednesday if Head would even be able to play.
“We knew Luther would struggle. It was a gutsy performance,” Weber said after Head managed 12 points on five-for-15 shooting and contributed six assists. “Now the big thing is, can we in less than 24 hours get him ready to play Saturday?”
With Head gimpy, Brown and Williams broke free of some of the problems they have had in the early rounds, though Illinois (35-1) has won its three tournament games by double digits anyway.
Brown, the Big Ten player of the year, scored 21 points and made five of eight three-pointers -- the first time since March 3 that he has made more than two three-point shots.
Before Thursday, he was seven for his last 31 from long range, considerably below his earlier 50% pace.
Williams, who runs the show from the point, hadn’t made a three-pointer in the tournament until the second half against Wisconsin Milwaukee. Then he sank the first of two to open up a 51-37 lead, breaking his 0-for-8 streak from beyond the arc.
“It was a good time to begin shooting well, especially when you have two of the three of us shooting well in the same game,” Williams said. “This is the time of year we need to do that.”
Williams finished with 21 points, scoring on a variety of drives and pull-up jumpers, making eight of 12 shots while handing out eight assists.
“He is such a strong player,” Wisconsin Milwaukee Coach Bruce Pearl said. “How many times late in the shot clock did he make a shot or make a pass or make a play?”
Wisconsin Milwaukee (26-6) lost despite a career-high 32 points by Joah Tucker, a player Pearl called the best unknown player in the NCAA tournament.
“I thought we had an opportunity to shock the world,” Tucker said. “I felt like we had the weapons to do it.”
Wisconsin Milwaukee reached the Sweet 16 by upsetting Alabama and Boston College, upending them by forcing turnovers with full-court pressure and by making three-pointers.
Against the Illini’s three skilled guards, Pearl decided pressing constantly was too risky, and though the Panthers pressed at times, Illinois committed only nine turnovers -- far below the 20.5 a game Wisconsin Milwaukee forced in the first two rounds.
The Panthers’ three-point shooting abandoned them too. Wisconsin Milwaukee made only seven of 29, with Ed McCants trying 14 but making only four.
Milwaukee’s slim chance of advancing to the Elite Eight as a 12th-seeded team seemed foreshadowed before the game by the luck of reserve center Derrick Ford. He slipped during warm-ups, suffered a lower leg injury and didn’t play.