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Enjoy from my personal collection of NCAA Tournament games. Oh how this game still hurts 25 years later. Rather than watching this game at a bar, as was the case for the Illini's Sweet Sixteen game against Kansas, my buddy Rich and I decided to hunker down in my dorm room, order Chinese food and watch closely. This was what I had been waiting for with this Illinois team for the past three seasons, a chance to play in the Final Four. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be for this Illini team as Gilbert Arenas got Arizona off to a hot start. The Illini battled back all game long, behind the strong play of Robert Archibald and Cory Bradford, and even led for seconds in the second half after back-to-back threes from Lucas Johnson. Ultimately, Arizona's talent and the refs' whistles were too much to overcome. Six Illini fouled out, and Arizona shot 56 free throws. While I loved this Arizona team and would root for the Wildcats during the Final Four, this Illinois team was so special and close. After the tight loss, I remember having to go to a Sunday night meeting for the student newspaper, The Daily Illini. That turned out to be a depressing walk, seeing fellow students leave the bars with dejected faces. Still, the 2000-01 Illini were a special team, as these highlights from a local television station in Champaign demonstrate.
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