History on side of Illini

[clevfan]

History on side of Illini

March 13, 2007

By John Supinie Copley News Service

CHAMPAIGN -- While Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim hit the TV and radio circuit asking why the Orange didn't get a berth in the NCAA tournament, Illinois began preparations for its eighth consecutive NCAA appearance.

No. 12 Illinois (23-11) faces No. 5 Virginia Tech (21-11) in a first-round West Regional game Friday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Las Vegas bookmakers and history don't always agree when it comes to the NCAA first-round games pitting No. 5 vs. No. 12 seeds. The oddsmakers say the four No. 5 seeds in this year's tournament field -- Virginia Tech, Butler, Southern Cal and Tennessee -- are favored in first-round games Thursday and Friday. History tells us a sweep over the No. 12s -- Illinois, Old Dominion, Arkansas and Long Beach State -- isn't likely.

Since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, only twice did the No. 12 teams go 0-4. With such parity in college basketball, perhaps they shouldn't even be called upsets anymore, Illinois coach Bruce Weber said.

"I'm sure they'll be addressed as upsets," Weber said. "I don't think they're as big as they were 15 or 20 years ago. Even just how you get into the tournament, there's a group of teams not in -- Syracuse and all those teams -- it's so evenly balanced." There are the elite teams, No. 1s like Kansas, Florida, North Carolina and Ohio State. From there, parity takes over, Weber said.

"That next 40 to 50 teams, there is a lot of balance in there, even from the high majors to the mid-majors," Weber said. Since 1985, No. 12 seeds reached the regional semifinals 14 times. In 2002, Missouri became the only No. 12 to play in a regional final. A No. 12 has never made it to the Final Four. The 5-12 game has been a favorite of office pool specialists. Memorable No. 12 winners include Butler, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Drexel, College of Charleston and Dayton, which beat Illinois in 1990, the year after the Illini went to the Final Four.

Virginia Tech is a 2 1/2-point favorite. No. 5 Butler (vs. Old Dominion) and No. 5 Southern Cal (vs. Arkansas) are 1 1/2-point favorites. No. 5 Tennessee (vs. Long Beach State) is favored by seven points.

No. 12 seeds are 44-88 since 1985, nearly identical to No. 11 seeds who posted a 43-88 mark. But last season as a No. 11, George Mason became the lowest-seeded team to reach the Final Four. But there's some history going against the Illini. Illinois has a 1-7 record when going against teams with a better seed in NCAA play. The lone win came in 2004, when No. 5 Illinois defeated No. 4 Cincinnati 92-68 at Nationwide Arena.

Made for TV -- Illinois' and Southern Illinois' fans would love a matchup between the teams Sunday in Columbus. If No. 4 Southern Illinois and the Illini advance, it would be only the third game ever between the programs.

Illinois won the previous two games. The last meeting came in the 2001-02 season, when Weber was the Southern Illinois' coach and the Illini prevailed 75-72 in the Las Vegas Invitational title game.

Salukis' coach Chris Lowery served as an assistant under Weber at Southern Illinois and Illinois. "It's not a coincidence," Weber said of the bracket. "They like good story lines, but the story has to happen." Another member of the Weber coaching tree is Purdue coach Matt Painter, also a former Weber assistant. The Boilers received a No. 9 seed in the Midwest. "I'm really happy for them and proud of them," Weber said of SIU and Purdue. "I hope I had some type of impact on the success both of them had."

Rest and recovery -- Not playing until Friday gives Illini guard Chester Frazier and center Shaun Pruitt an extra day to rest nagging injuries. Frazier played against Wisconsin with a sore knee Saturday after banging it on the floor in a collision Friday during an overtime victory over Indiana. Pruitt also took an elbow to his head and needed some rest to be full strength, Weber said.

Previous meeting -- Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg faced Illinois in the 1993 NCAA tournament while coaching at Long Beach State. As a No. 6 seed, the Illini scored a 75-72 victory over No. 11 Long Beach in Salt Lake City.

"We couldn't check them in the second half," Greenberg said. "They beat us on the weak side. That was (Deon) Thomas and (Andy) Kaufmann. They had a good basketball team." Illinois lost in the second round to No. 3 Vanderbilt.

Finalist -- Illinois' senior forward Warren Carter is one of nine finalists for the V Foundation Comeback Award. The annual award goes to an individual or team that overcame adversity. Carter and his two brothers lived on their own in high school while their mother, Kamela, served time in a Texas prison. Among the finalists is the women's basketball team from the United States Military Academy. Army coach Maggie Dixon died last spring from a heart condition after leading the Cadets to their first NCAA berth. No. 12 Illinois vs. No. 5 Virginia Tech: 6 p.m. Friday