College basketball

Double dribble: Men

By BRIAN LANDMAN
Published January 7, 2006

WE'RE NOT BACK; WE NEVER LEFT

With electrifying guard Dee Brown and ever-improving forward James Augustine, you knew Illinois would be good this season.

But with guard Deron Williams bolting early for the NBA and graduation claiming sharpshooting guard Luther Head, steady forward Roger Powell and valuable reserves Nick Smith and Jack Ingram, you probably couldn't imagine it would be nearly as good as last season.

Not Final Four good, right?

How could it?

Well, Illinois, which didn't lose last year until the regular-season finale and then reached the NCAA championship game, opened Big Ten play on Thursday with a 60-50 win against No. 7 Michigan State to improve to 15-0 and validate its No. 6 ranking.

"There's no doubt, you always think you can be successful, but to be where we're at is a surprise," said Illinois coach Bruce Weber, whose team visits Iowa today.

Illinois' success begins with Brown and Augustine, seniors and tireless workers who inspire others to follow their example. Brown leads the team in scoring and went off for a career-high 34 against the Spartans, and Augustine is averaging nearly a double double.

"They're carrying the torch from one group to the next," Weber said.

It was four decades ago, but Kentucky coach Tubby Smith, then a high school freshman in southern Maryland, still can't forget watching the improbable on television.

Texas Western, a team that started five African-Americans, stunned Kentucky, an all-white team coached by Adolph Rupp, to win the 1966 NCAA title at Maryland's Cole Field House.

"To witness that, people of color playing on television (was something)," Smith said. "Back then, not just in sports, you didn't see many blacks on TV. That was a real novelty and to get the win, it was inspiring."

A Disney film based on that team, one that changed the landscape of sports, is due in theaters Friday. Glory Road stars Josh Lucas as Texas Western coach Don Haskins, Derek Luke (Friday Night Lights) as Bobby Joe Hill, Mechad Brooks (Desperate Housewives) as Harry Flournoy Jr., Sam Jones III (Smallville) as Willie Worsley and Jon Voight as Rupp.

0: Games played by Baylor. Due to NCAA sanctions, the Bears open the season Wednesday at Texas Tech.

3: Points Duke senior guard J.J. Redick needs Sunday against Wake Forest to pass Florida State's Bob Sura (2,130) and move into 21st place in ACC history.

30: Gonzaga's and Illinois' homecourt winning streaks, longest in the nation.

91.5: Average points by Washington, tops in the nation.

NO. 13 NORTH CAROLINA STATE AT NO. 25 NORTH CAROLINA, 3 P.M. TODAY, ESPN2: The Wolfpack is steadily climbing in the polls and has won seven in a row. The Tar Heels, who lost their top six players from last year's NCAA championship team, are one of this season's surprises.

NO. 7 MICHIGAN STATE AT WISCONSIN, 1:30 P.M. SUNDAY, CH. 10: The Spartans need to rebound after Thursday's 60-50 loss at Illinois and couldn't have picked a worse locale; Wisconsin, fresh off a 66-52 win against visiting Iowa, is 32-1 at home in Big Ten games under coach Bo Ryan.

"It showed them they can step up and they can win on the road and when they play hard and play together, we can win. It was huge for our program. I scheduled the Texas game, the Oklahoma State game, the Memphis game, not necessarily thinking we could actually beat any of those teams at this point, but if you want to be the best, you have to act like it first." - First-year Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl on what the Dec. 17 game against then-No. 6 Texas, a 95-78 loss, meant as his team enters SEC play Sunday against South Carolina.

[Last modified January 7, 2006, 01:25:29]