Jeff Roberson / AP

Illinois' Dee Brown celebrates while Arizona's Jawann McClellan sits on the floor in despair after No. 1-ranked Illinois beat Arizona 90-89 in overtime Saturday to advance to the Final Four.

updated 2:50 p.m. ET March 27, 2005

ROSEMONT, Ill. - Illinois made a jaw-dropping final push for the Final Four with a rally that was as electrifying as it was improbable.

“Just amazing,” Illinois coach Bruce Weber said.

Trailing by 15 with just four minutes to play Saturday night, the Illini then showed why they have been No. 1 for most of the season.

“We just kept fighting. We never gave up,” Deron Williams said “It looked like the game was over.”

But it wasn’t.

With Williams and Luther Head leading the way, Illinois went on a dazzling 20-5 run, tying it on Williams’ 3-pointer, and then held on in overtime to send Arizona to a crushing 90-89 defeat Saturday night in the Chicago Regional Finals.

“We’ve got to keep going, keep playing. I’m trying to tell my teammates out on the floor ’This game’s not over,” Williams said. “’There’s still some time, we can still get it down, chip away.’ We ended up getting the momentum, the crowd into it and we were able to take the game over.”

The Illini (36-1), who’ve been able to drive to their two tournament sites in Indianapolis and suburban Chicago, so far, can keep on busing to the school’s first Final Four appearance since 1989.

In St. Louis, they will play Louisville (33-4), which rallied from a 20-point deficit Saturday to beat West Virginia 93-85 in overtime and take the Albuquerque Regional.

The last time two regional final games went into overtime in the same year was 1992 when Michigan beat Ohio State, and Duke eliminated Kentucky.

Arizona (30-7) went up 75-60 with four minutes to go after an 18-6 spurt that momentarily silenced a large, orange-clad partisan crowd.

The Illini stoked up their defense, incited the crowd and turned the game around.

“It’s heart man, it’s just heart,” Illinois’ Dee Brown said. “The whole time I was saying ’If it was meant to be, it was meant to be.’ And I guess it was meant to be that we go to the Final Four.”

More news

Mark J. Terrill / AP

Gordon reacted to article right way

CBT: Drew Gordon is taking a different approach to SI's UCLA article than Reeves Nelson, one much more likely to result in hearing his name called come NBA draft day.

Former Indiana coach Watson dies at 88

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Former Indiana coach and player Lou Watson has died at the age of 88.

Headlines

• Label

CBT: Cincinnati, Xavier to continue rivalry

CBT: 4 Indiana schools extend Crossroads Classic

CBT: Stony Brook says it's staying put ... for now

CBT: Will Michigan re-hang the Fab Five banners?

CBT: Is the new early entry deadline working?

CBT: Fine's wife to sue ESPN for libel

CBT: Coach K gets a lot of bucks and bennies

CBT: ACC will include all 14 teams in tournament