CHICAGO - As top-ranked Illinois celebrated its big Ten
tournament title with the traditional net-cutting ceremony,
James Augustine was trying to figure out what he was going to eat.
Then in the middle of the euphoria came an announcement he wasn't
expecting: he'd been voted the MVP of the tournament.
"I was just over there talking to Nick (Smith) about what was going
to be for dinner," Augustine said. "He gave me a hard time and I had
to give a speech. I had no idea. I was surprised with it."
With Augustine and Roger Power clogging up the middle for most of
the game, the Illini built a 16-point lead and held on Sunday to beat
No. 23 Wisconsin 54-43 for the Big Ten title.
"He (Augustine) said, `I'm so hungry, what
the heck are they going to have in that room?' He really wasn't
thinking about being the MVP. They're all like that. They're loose and
free and very competitive," said Illinois coach
Bruce Weber, who coached his second straight game following his
mother's death Friday.
Known for its stellar guard play, Illinois' big men were a major
factor in sending the Illini to a school-record 32nd win.
Now on to the NCAAs, where the overall No. 1 seed (32-1) faces
Fairleigh Dickinson in the opening round Thursday at Indianapolis, a
two-hour drive from Champaign.
"At the beginning of the season everybody questioned our big men.
We showed it's not a weakness but one of our strengths," said guard
Deron Williams, who dribbled out the final seconds of the clock
Sunday after the Illini had held off a late Badgers run.
The Illini didn't shoot well again Sunday -
Dee Brown went scoreless and was 0-for-8 from the field - but they
turned up the defense, especially on Wisconsin scoring leaders Alando
Tucker and Mike Wilkinson.
"We have showed all year we were able to run with people and go
by them. And at the same time when they make it a slower game -
Wisconsin, that's their style - we're still able to deal with
it,"
"We have showed all year we were able to run with people and go by
them. And at the same time when they make it a slower game -
Wisconsin, that's their style - we're still able to deal with it,"
Weber said.
Tucker, whose 3-point buzzer-beater in the semifinals carried the
Badgers (22-8) over Iowa, managed just nine points on 4-of-14 shooting
but was instrumental in Wisconsin's comeback.
Mike Wilkinson, Wisconsin's second-leading scorer, also struggled,
scoring eight points on 1-for-7 shooting as the Badgers made only 14
of 54 field goal attempts (26 percent).
Top reserve Zach Morley, who had 40 points in the first two
Wisconsin wins, managed five on Sunday.
Augustine and Powell helped each other inside as the Illini doubled
whomever had the ball. Wisconsin made only 14 baskets in the game.
"He was very aggressive," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said of
Augustine, who averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds in the three
tournament games. "He made a statement. He intimidated our guys a
little bit."
Powell finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds Sunday while
Augustine and
Luther Head had 12 points apiece. Augustine also blocked three
shots.
Wisconsin (22-8) will keep playing, too, facing Northern Iowa in a
first-round game at Oklahoma City on Friday.
"You can't get too down on yourselves after a loss. You have to
take good with bad," Tucker said. "We'll look at this, see the things
we can improve on and that's going to help us down the road."
The Illini went up 16 when Head and Powell hit 3-pointers and then
Head raced ahead on a fastbreak for a dunk on a pass from Brown with
8:42 left.
But Wisconsin, which lost for the third time to Illinois this
season after beating the Illini in the tournament finals a year ago,
had one run left, most with Augustine sitting with his fourth foul.
Tucker, scoreless in the first half, hit a basket and a 3-pointer,
Kammron Taylor made a 3 and two free throws and the Badgers got to
46-41 with 4:41 to go.
Still trailing 48-43, the Badgers then missed five straight shots
that could have cut into the lead, including a 3-point miss by Tucker
with just over a minute to go.
Powell, fouled on the rebound, then hit two free throws to make it
50-43. Augustine dropped in two from the line with 36 seconds left and
Powell two more 9 seconds later as the Illini hung on.
Illinois improved to 27-6 at the United Center - where it has won
14 straight games and Sunday was boosted by a boisterous sellout crowd
of 22,157, many of them dressed in orange.
Now the Illini, No. 1 since early December, hope to take their fans
on another ride through the NCAA tournament.
"Hopefully we can do something special," Head said.
went scoreless on 0-for-8 shooting.
IIowa
Loses to Wisconsin on a Buzzer Beater: 59 - 56
Wisconsin advances to Big Ten
final
on Tucker's desperation shot
March 12,
2005 SportsLine.com wire reports
CHICAGO -- Alando Tucker knew there was no time to waste.
He caught the inbounds pass and took off up the court dribbling as
fast as he could before letting fly with a 3-pointer from the right side
of the arc
As the ball banked through the basket at the buzzer, No. 23
Wisconsin had a stunning 59-56 win over
Iowa
in the Big Ten semifinals Saturday, sending the Badgers to the floor in
celebration.
Tucker's improbable shot also gave the Badgers a third crack this
season at top-ranked Illinois when they meet Sunday for the tournament
title.
"We practice situations like that all the time to prepare for
situations like this, game situations. Coach always says you have three
legitimate dribbles and a chance to shoot it, or two dribbles and a
pass. I just wanted to take long strides," Tucker said
And he did, beating Adam Haluska up the floor with his dribble and
then jumping in and releasing the shot just outside the 3-point arch.
And no, he wasn't shooting for the glass.
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"After it went in, I called backboard," Tucker said.
When the ball kissed off the glass and went through, the Badgers
raced to the floor to mob Tucker, halting momentarily while officials
reviewed the final shot before upholding it.
"When I first let shot off, I was just, I thought I got it off in
time. I just wanted to make sure when refs reviewed it it was good. Then
we were able to celebrate afterward," Tucker said.
Wisconsin's Mike Wilkinson, saddled with foul problems, hit two
baskets in the final 1:18, including a jumper that put the Badgers ahead
56-54 with 32 seconds to go.
Iowa (21-11) set up a last shot with Jeff Horner firing a pass to a
wide-open Haluska in the corner. His 3-point attempt went high off the
rim but Greg Brunner was there to put it back in, tying the game at 56
with 3.7 seconds to go.
After two timeouts, the Badgers (22-7) made it work, even though they
had to inbound the ball under the Iowa basket.
Zach Morley made a good pass to Tucker as he was already moving and
he was able to race up the right sidelines and make the shot that left
the Hawkeyes shaking their heads in disbelief.
"It was set up and they just made a tough play," Brunner said.
"It hurts losing on banked fade `3' at buzzer. That doesn't help it
at all," Iowa coach Steve Alford said, refusing to blame his defense.
Tucker's athletic ability just made the play work.
"We wanted them to catch it back in the backcourt, obviously. That
happened. He fumbled one of the dribbles, was able to retain it. We
brought help late," Alford said.
"He makes a double-clutch, fade away to left bank shot. I thought
they defended it well, he just happened to make a terrific shot."
Wisconsin won the Big Ten Tournament a year ago, beating Illinois in
the final. The Illini -- who beat Minnesota 64-56 Saturday -- won both
meetings this season and ended Wisconsin's 38-game homecourt winning
streak.
"It's nice to be playing in a championship game. They know how it
works. If you win, you get to keep playing," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan
said.
Win or lose Sunday, the Badgers are a cinch for the NCAA Tournament.
Tucker finished with 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting and Morley again
came off the bench for another big game, following his career-high
23-point effort against Ohio State in the quarterfinals with 17.
Brunner had 18 points and Horner chipped in 12 as Iowa's five-game
winning streak ended in painful fashion. The Hawkeyes will now wait
until Sunday to find out if they can get into the NCAA Tournament or
head back to the NIT for a fourth straight year.
"That's part of it when you're an at-large selection, you're at mercy
of selection committee," Alford said.
"You just try and put together the best resume you can."
Iowa went 6-6 after leading scorer Pierre Pierce was dismissed from
the team admidst legal problems.
With the Badgers nursing a one-point lead, Tucker took a nifty pass
from Michael Flowers and was headed for a layup when Iowa's Doug Thomas
swatted him across the head, an intentional foul.
Tucker made both free throws with 7 minutes left for a three-point
lead.
Horner's two free throws cut it to one and the Hawkeyes had a chance
for the lead following a timeout with 1:54 to go.
But Morley stepped in front of a pass for Brunner and then called a
timeout before he fell out of bounds with 1:42 to go.
Wilkinson had his shot blocked by Brunner but somehow managed to get
the rebound and follow it in, getting fouled on the play. He missed the
free throw, keeping the Badgers' lead at 54-51.
Brunner then made one and missed the second at the line, but Erek
Hansen got the offensive rebound, was fouled and made both free throws
with a minute left to tie the game at 54.
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