Dee Brown was the heart and soul of the 2005 national runnerup Illinois team. (Courtesy Illinois Athletics)

By Larry Smith - IlliniGuys Co-Founder

April 4, 2026

INDIANAPOLIS - For Dee Brown, it's the anniversary of a painful memory.

"April 4th is always a bad day for me", says the Roosevelt University head coach.

Tonight marks the 21st anniversary of a milestone in Illinois basketball history; their lone appearance in the NCAA championship game. The Illini, led by the All-American trio of Brown, Deron Williams, and Luther Head, came up short in their bid to cap off a magical season when they lost to North Carolina.

"We don't talk about the officiating (when reflecting on that game)", Brown told reporters this week. "We talk about us grabbing a rebound and closing out that game. But those moments were special."

Special for Brown and everyone involved with the Illini program; magical for a guy like me.

I grew up with Illinois basketball. I had a small black-and-white television in my room and, while the primary purpose was to play games of pong with my friends, I discovered that I could get Illini games if I positioned the rabbit ears just right. Names like Levi Cobb, Derek Holcomb, Mark Smith, and Eddie Johnson. Lou Henson with his funny-looking hair. And a glimpse inside Assembly Hall, that huge spaceship-looking arena that would always catch my attention from the car when visiting my grandparents in Urbana.

I saw my first college basketball game in that building. It was January 1979 and my uncle and I were up in C-section to see Johnson sink a baseline jumper to defeat top-ranked Michigan State and star guard Earvin "Magic" Johnson 57-55. Twenty years later, I interviewed Magic as an anchor for CNN Sports and was amazed at the details he remembered from that night. The frigid air blowing from the field draped in darkness to the south, that it was a Thursday night, and that Eddie hit a good shot to beat his Spartans.

So, to watch the Illinois basketball team enjoy their great success in 2004-05 was pure joy. The butt-whipping of No. 1 Wake Forest and Chris Paul on ESPN during the Big Ten-ACC Challenge that catapulted them to atop the rankings. A chase at perfection that made them the top story on SportsCenter every night and put them even on national nightly news shows. They were rockstars; unable to walk into hotel lobbies on the road, they usually had to be secreted into back entrances and use service elevators. Head coach Bruce Weber had to get a burner phone and used late night walks with his dog to get away and clear his head.

It was no surprise that St. Louis was colored orange that week. It had been 16 years since the last Final Four and Illini Nation had endured the Bruce Pearl scandal and three coaching changes to get here. This was a time when the NCAA would arrange seating to only use about half of the domed stadiums were they staged Final Fours and, for the Edward James Dome, that meant about 43,000 in the house when temporary seating was factored in.

Illinois defeated Louisville that Saturday night to earn their first national title game appearance. I'll admit; I was nervous. Chicago sports anchor Ryan Baker, an Illinois alum and former co-worker, and I spent a few moments taking in the scene. It felt like it was 80 percent Illini fans. I don't think Bruce's wife Megan sat down during the entire pregame. Former Illini Cobb and Kenny Battle were there. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo stopped me to chat and said he had wished his good friend Bruce good luck earlier in the day. I thought of all of those Illini players in the past - Derek Harper, Bruce Douglas, Jens Kujawa, Deon Thomas, Richard Keene, Brian Cook Frank Williams and so many others - who never got a chance to be here.

The game didn't go our way. Illinois' shooting just wasn't there, but they made a valiant comeback in the second half to tie the game at 70. And then a fluke play to decide it. Tar Heels guard Rashad McCants, who had been shut down after halftime by Williams, forced the action and drove baseline from the wing. He threw up a reverse layup and tried to spin it off the backboard, but the ball missed everything. As everyone scrambled to get in position for the rebound, North Carolina freshman forward Marvin Williams swooped in and tapped in the air ball for the game's final field goal. 75-70. Dreams dashed.

I walked to the Illini locker room with my photographer feeling empty. Professionally, I fought back my emotions to gather myself by the time I arrived. This couldn't be personal. This was the team that the entire country had been following and we needed to get reaction. But when I got there and saw their faces, I couldn't do it. I couldn't put a microphone in anyone's face and put forth a series of banal inquiries. They were crushed.

As I watched Dee Brown answer my question this week, I was immediately transported to that room in the bowels of a quiet stadium and the emotions of that moment. He admits that it's still tough to hear the annual iconic tournament-closing 'One Shining Moment', surely because he and the Illini didn't get theirs.

Tonight, the most successful Illini team since then takes the court here in Indianapolis. They'll use the entire football stadium this time and yet the demand has sent ticket prices to an insane level. I know of grown people sleeping on the floors of their adult children's apartments and homes to make it all make financial sense.

But they are here. The Illini are here. A coach vilified by fans for his in-game decisions in the past proudly waving thanks to the Illinois faithful during their Friday practice session. A freshman nobody had heard of last October become the program's first-ever All-American as a college rookie. A collection of teammates for whom English is a second language.

The Illini will be wearing a throwback version of uniforms, complete with the Illinois script that danced across that black and white screen so many decades ago. The scene is reminiscent of 2005 - orange shirts and jerseys everywhere around town.

Illinois has already gained so much. National fame and respect. Another banner to hang in the rafters.

Now, immortality awaits. A place where no Illinois team has ever gone before is within sight.

The dreams of that April 4th were dashed by a legendary blueblood. Tonight, a shot at redemption, to be delivered by a group of players many of whom had yet to be born 21 years ago. Today's blueblood - UConn - standing in the way.

Here's a chance to make the memory of April 4th bright again. For Dee Brown, a chance to ease his pain. For this team, a chance to make this one shining moment all about them.