On March 26^th 2005, the Fighting Illini and Arizona Wildcats played in the Midwest regional final in Rosemont, Illinois. It was, up to that point, the most important game of the season for the Illini. No Illini fan who had invested so much in that team and had followed them since the first game of the season was going to miss them play for the Final Four; any fan other than me, apparently.

I was still in high school in 2005, and like many teenagers had a job; you can imagine my disappointment when Jewel didn't give me the night off. I spent the entire first half sneaking into the bathroom every five minutes to call my friends and ask for score updates. As soon as I was off work I rushed home to see the last several minutes. To my disappointment, with nine minutes to go in the second half, the Illini were already down by three, and would be the victims of a blistering 15-3 run.

It was surprising to me that Arizona could have played so well against the Illini, but it should not have been; Salim Stoudamire and Channing Frye were two of the best players in college basketball that year, and along with Hassan Adams they put an absolute hurt on the Illini offensively, scoring fifty-four points between the three of them. Anyone looking past a Lute Olson coached team that loaded with talent was in for a very rude awakening.

Anyone who left the Illini for dead when they were down by fifteen with four minutes to go were in for a big surprise. With three of the best guards anyone could ever hope to put together on a college team, if anyone could mount a comeback that large with so little time remaining it was the Illini. Luther Head, Dee Brown and Deron Williams scored every Illini point from the 4 minute mark onward, and together scored twenty points to tie the game and send it into overtime.

There have been bigger deficits overcome, and wins that have been less likely, but still down by eight with only a minute to go, the Illini pulling back to even against Arizona still seemed as unlikely as ever. When Deron Williams made the three pointer to tie the game I practically went ballistic. The Illini should have lost this game. Even with the talent the Illini had, Arizona was too good to give up a comeback of that size.

The game should also be remembered as the game that punched Deron Williams' ticket to the NBA draft. His twenty-two points in that game don't jump off of the stat sheet on their own, but his poise down the stretch was evident for anyone who watched the game. Of those twenty-two points twelve came in the final three minutes of regulation and the overtime. Without Deron, this team doesn't come back.

From there of course the Illini would go to the Final Four, beat up on Louisville and ultimately fall to North Carolina. Even with so much at stake in those subsequent games, the Elite Eight game was the emotional high point of the tournament. Even if the Illini had beaten the Tar Heels, it is hard to believe that any game could overtake this game in the minds of Illini fans. It was as thrilling a game as any of us will ever see.

The game also represents, sadly, the last great runs for either program involved. In the two seasons after 2005, the Wildcats never made it past the second round; in 2007 Lute Olson went on a leave of absence that would soon become his retirement. Without their immortal coach leading them, Arizona has become in many ways just another basketball school. Since 2005, the Illini have won only one NCAA game, and have failed to reach the heights that they had with Deron Williams, Luther Head, and Dee Brown. Neither team has won their conference since.

For the players on the floor it was the last great college showcase for their talents. Four players who started in that game are still on NBA rosters: Stoudamire, Frye, Head, and, of course, Deron Williams (who has since become one of the great players in the NBA).

The 2005 game against Arizona stands as the last great moment for two storied programs, the first hint of greatness for future NBA players, and an unforgettable game for the fans.