# Illinois-Arizona Elite Eight Game
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [March 27, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487 "2005-03-27T20:27:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/1 "2005-03-27T20:27:48Z")
What a incredible game. I lost my voice and my ears are still ringing. However, I was an idoit and forgot to DVR the game.
Did anyone record this puppy and is able to burn a DVD? I’ll make it worth your while if you can hook me up here.
As much as I loved watching it in a giant bar, it requires a repeat viewing in HD in the privacy of home, with my own replays. 🙂
I’ll love you forever if you can help me.
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### Author:  [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/2 "2005-03-27T20:34:47Z")
No help here, just a chime in with another YOWSA! What a game!
This has been the wildest Tourney I can remember, what with all the comebacks, upsets, and last millisecond finishes.
Pity me my two Oklahoma teams exitting.
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/3 "2005-03-27T20:58:08Z")
Being a rabid Illini alum, you can understand that I’m still a little to affected to comment coherently on this.
Part of the problem is that for the stretch when we were getting down I was so angry and frustrated that I spent parts of teh game with my head in my hands. I missed alot of the action cheering and jumping and high-fiving too. I really need to rewatch this…desperately. If anyone knows any retail way to buy the whole game that’d be welcome too. The “highlight” videos they always put out just won’t get it done. I think I could make millions with this idea, why wouldn’t the sports leagues already be selling complete unedited versions of these games ala ESPN Classic? Even Classic usually edits them down and adds commentary. This is fine too, but I want to have both.
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### Author:  [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2005, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/4 "2005-03-27T21:22:36Z")
I just gotta say…
Go Heels!
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### Author:  [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2005, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/5 "2005-03-27T21:24:15Z")
Last night they had a scrolling ticker at the bottom of the TV screen advising everyone in town where to go to greet the bus! It’s craziness! I mean, sure I love them and I park in the Assembly Hall lot every day for school but they were cutting into my Law & Order. Can’t concentrate on Vincent D’Onofrio when the ticker is bleating on about the Illini.
Go Illini!!
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### Author:  [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/6 "2005-03-27T21:49:53Z")
As the husband of a Cham-bana alum, let me just say that I have never heard screaming like that coming from the TV Room - she was going nuts.
If anyone does have access to that game on DVD, I would love to get it for her as a gift…
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/7 "2005-03-27T22:03:14Z")
Yesterday was a great day for basketball. Didn’t hurt me in the NCAA pool either. 😉
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### Author:  [@jeevmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeevmon)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2005, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/8 "2005-03-28T03:01:50Z")
Can we get a nice tall glass of warm shut-up juice for those Big Ten doubters? Three of the Elite Eight and two of the Final Four are Big Ten. And the mighty ACC? One in each. None of that gets negated even if UNC wins it all.
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### Author:  [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2005, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/9 "2005-03-28T03:47:22Z")
**Omni** , if anyone hooks you up with that DVD, please let me know. That was the most unbelievable finish I’ve ever seen.
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### Author:  [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2005, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/10 "2005-03-28T03:49:42Z")
> [@jeevmon](#):
>
> Can we get a nice tall glass of warm shut-up juice for those Big Ten doubters? Three of the Elite Eight and two of the Final Four are Big Ten. And the mighty ACC? One in each. None of that gets negated even if UNC wins it all.
I’ll be happy to help you buy a round for all the skeptics.
Is it just me or has this been one of the best NCAA tournaments ever? I don’t ever remember this amount of nailbiting.
GT
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### Author:  [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2005, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/11 "2005-03-28T04:56:04Z")
That was amazing. I was about to go out because I thought there was no way we’d be able to come back from that 15-point deficit. I was exhilarated for a good hour after the game. Wow.
_ **ILL!** _
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2005, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/12 "2005-03-28T14:31:20Z")
INI
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2005, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/13 "2005-03-28T14:54:17Z")
I now believe it will be Michigan State over Illinois in the final. In their only previous meeting, the Illini came up to East Lansing and played an absolutely perfect game to win in a rout. I don’t believe they will repeat that level of perfection again.
GO STATE
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2005, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/14 "2005-03-28T16:19:24Z")
Two words for any Michigan Staters out there.
**Free Throws**
Between that and the Roy Williams anti-mistique, the other half of the bracket could be a race to see who shits the game down their leg first.
Cue up a little _Oski-wow-wow_
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### Author:  [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2005, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/15 "2005-03-28T17:49:45Z")
> [@AwSnappity](#):
>
> _ **ILL!** _
I hope you get to feeling better - what a terrible time to be sick! 😃
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### Author:  [@The\_Big\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Big_Cheese)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/16 "2005-03-28T18:47:34Z")
You mean I’m the only one that turned it off with 3 minutes to go and down 13 points??
D’oh!
NC is beatable, if Wis hung with them like they did. I’d love to see Ill-MSU…take that Dicky!
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### Author:  [@Hammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hammer)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/17 "2005-03-28T19:04:38Z")
Best tournament ever… Carolina fan here. Actually I would say the Big10 is very much like the ACC. After the top 3 you get very suspect and the bottom of the league is just plain weak. We had 4-5 teams that were completely unpredictable. NC State is great example of that. MSU looks tough, but I like our chances. We seem to be taking heat for not blowing out good teams however we were the only team that didn’t require OT or a come from behind victory to make it.
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### Author:  [@jeevmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeevmon)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/18 "2005-03-28T20:29:13Z")
> [@Hammer](#):
>
> Best tournament ever… Carolina fan here. Actually I would say the Big10 is very much like the ACC. After the top 3 you get very suspect and the bottom of the league is just plain weak. We had 4-5 teams that were completely unpredictable. NC State is great example of that. MSU looks tough, but I like our chances. We seem to be taking heat for not blowing out good teams however we were the only team that didn’t require OT or a come from behind victory to make it.
The fact that UNC did not require OT or a come from behind victory may well be more a reflection of the fact that UNC’s caliber of opponent was weaker. UNC was a 1 seed facing a 6 seed. It was supposed to win, and pretty handily. The remaining games were a 1 v. 3 (Illinois- Arizona), a 4 v. 7 (Louisville v. West Virginia), and a 2 v. a 5 (Kentucky v. Michigan State). Michigan State wasn’t “supposed” to win its game, so it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that it had to work damn hard to win it. Illinois was arguably supposed to win its game, but a 3 beating a 1 is not generally viewed as a huge upset. And an overtime game certainly isn’t outside the bounds there. Louisville was arguably supposed to win its game pretty easily, and the only reason it became difficult was some freakishly good long-range shooting by West Virginia.
UNC benefitted from the collapse of the lower half of its regional bracket. UConn and Kansas both lost in upsets, so the teams that made it out to the regional semis and regional final were weaker than normal. It happens, and it’s not a reflection on UNC that it did, except to the extent that it means we can’t infer that UNC is a stronger team because it did not go into overtime in its regional final. UNC simply had a weaker opponent.
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/19 "2005-03-28T20:32:41Z")
See the thing is that the Big Ten plays defense. Everyone sees a bunch of 65-60 games and assumes no one is any good. They see everyone knocking each other off (because when you play defense you can beat anyone on a given day) and they assume its a middling league with no stand out teams. Well, guess what, defense wins games. It’s not flashy (no earring stdded McCants here, thanks) but it’s visciously competitive. Just like the Big Dance. RPI my ass.
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### Author:  [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illinois-arizona-elite-eight-game/296487/20 "2005-03-28T21:03:58Z")
> [@Omniscient](#):
>
> See the thing is that the Big Ten plays defense. Everyone sees a bunch of 65-60 games and assumes no one is any good. They see everyone knocking each other off (because when you play defense you can beat anyone on a given day) and they assume its a middling league with no stand out teams. Well, guess what, defense wins games. It’s not flashy (no earring stdded McCants here, thanks) but it’s visciously competitive. Just like the Big Dance. RPI my ass.
A-frickin’-men.
And as an aside, can I just say that college basketball is a billion times superior to the debacle which is the NBA? In college, you’ve got a team on the floor. They all hustle, they all play defense, they’re generally pretty unselfish, and the sheer intensity of the game is astonishing. It’s the polar opposite of the NBA in all of those respects.
I can’t stand to watch the thugs in the NBA, but I wish March Madness would never end.
Tangent over 🙂
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