Each day in March, we'll look back at a memorable Illini performance in the NCAA tournament, thanks to writers from the News-Gazette and Jim Turpin's audio.

First up: Perhaps the biggest win of them all, the Illini's amazing comeback against Arizona that sent them to the 2005 Final Four.

Date:  March 26, 2005

Headline: YOU GOTTA BELIEVE

By BRETT DAWSON

ROSEMONT – He broke down amid the bedlam, tears streaming down his cheeks and sweat creeping through his suit. Bruce Weber, the loudest man in the business, was at a loss for words.

And why not?

How could he comprehend the scene he'd seen?

What words were there for what happened Saturday night in the Chicago Regional final, for Illinois' 90-89 overtime win against Arizona?

How could Weber be expected to grasp what his team did in charging into Illinois' first Final Four since 1989?

For the Illini - down 15 with 4 minutes, 4 seconds to play in regulation, trailing 80-72 with 63 seconds left on this magical season - to rally and win?

Language failed Weber. There were only tears - and hugs.

"I thought of my mom. I did," Weber said. "I thought of my mom and dad, and all the sacrifices they made so I could get here. It's been so emotional these last couple of weeks, it was just .. you can't describe it."

Across the court from Weber – and celebrating in stark contrast to his restrained reaction –- was his demonstrative duo of point guards.

At the top of his lungs, though the sound still was swallowed in the din of Allstate Arena, Dee Brown shouted to Deron Williams, "I told you! I told you!"

"I told him he was the best guard in the country, and he was going to dominate down the stretch," Brown said minutes later. "And that's exactly what he did."

But if Brown knew that it could go this way, that Williams would score eight of his 22 points in the final 3:52, that the burly junior would net six more in overtime, then his precognitive powers are even more dazzling than his fantastic fast breaks.

Illinois beat Arizona on Saturday night, and if you missed it, you'll never forgive yourself.

But don't worry. You'll see it replayed for years.

"A classic game," Illinois athletic director Ron Guenther called it, and who could argue?

Thirty-six minutes of game time had passed, and Illinois was toast.

Nine minutes later, the Illini were the toast of Champaign.

Illinois outscored Arizona 20-5 in the last four minutes of regulation, the capper coming on a Jack Ingram steal and a Williams three-pointer with 38.2 seconds remaining that tied the game at 80 and gave Illinois a chance to make a defensive stand.

All season, the stars seemed in the proper Illini alignment, with the school's basketball centennial falling in a season its roster was stocked with talent. The road to St. Louis included stops in Indianapolis and Chicago, short drives from Champaign, and Illinois seemed a team of destiny.

Never has that theory had legs like it had Saturday night.

"I looked at the other guys' eyes (during timeouts), and they were like, 'It ain't over. We've still got to fight,' " Brown said. "The way everyone was acting in the huddle, it was like we were still fired up and we still could do it. I never panicked because I felt like we had a chance."

It hardly looked that way.

For most of the second half, Arizona dominated. Even as Williams put the clamps on Arizona's leading scorer Salim Stoudamire, the supporting Wildcats stepped into a starring role. Channing Frye controlled the paint en route to a 24-point night.

Hassan Adams, guarded most of the night by a limping Luther Head - still feeling the effects of a strained hamstring - scored inside and out and finished with 21.

And with time running short and Arizona's lead expanding, Adams turned to Stoudamire, slapped his hand and said, 'Five minutes to St. Louis.'

At the same time, Weber was telling his team not to believe it.

"I said, 'You guys have worked way too hard to quit. You have to keep fighting,' " Weber said. "And they did. The whole game, all the bounces went their way, then all of the sudden, the bounces started going our way."

Then Weber's message started to sink in.

He told his players, "Look at my eyes," told them to focus.

Somewhere, Illinois found something in reserve. It came from Head's hustle and Brown's defense. It came from Williams' determination, and from the riotous sound of the crowd of 16,957, all but a pocket decked out in orange.

"I was just screaming at my teammates not to give up," Head said.

Weber did the same.

On the inside, though, he wasn't as confident.

In the long hallway outside Illinois' locker room, the coach admitted there was a time, trailing by 15 with time ticking away, that he thought about the end of this wild ride, considered the possibility that a team he's come to love would have no tomorrow.

"At one point, I was like, 'What am I going to say to everybody (if we lose)?' " Weber said. "I told them afterward, 'I didn't have a good speech for you, so I'm glad I get to tell you we're going to the Final Four.' "

Illinois heads there this week after 16 years of failed attempts. A date awaits with Rick Pitino and Louisville, a team about which Weber admitted he knows 'almost nothing.'

Scouting starts today.

"I told our coaches, 'Go have a dang beer,' " Weber said.

There's reason to celebrate.

Weber's first thought in the aftermath was of his mother, Dawn, who died three weeks ago during heart surgery. His first hug was from Gary Nottingham, the assistant to the head coach who spent years as a Division II coach.

It took time before he could utter his first words.

But after he'd shed his last tear, Weber wore a smile that betrayed pride and joy and more than a little relief, and once he'd gathered his head, he couldn't stop talking about his Final Four-bound team's heart.

"They have toughness and competitive spirit," Weber said. "I told them, 'We got a miracle, guys. Now we have an opportunity.' I think the pressure is in getting (to the Final Four).

"Now we're there; let's go win the national championship."