No. 1 Wake Forest falls to Illinois

Posted 7:05AM on Thursday 2nd December 2004 ( 20 years ago )

CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - Top-ranked teams might want to think twice about visiting Assembly Hall. Roger Powell Jr. scored 19 points, Dee Brown and Luther Head added 16 each and No. 5 Illinois made No. 1 Wake Forest look more like a nonconference patsy in a 91-73 rout Wednesday night. The Illini led by double-digits for the last 28-plus minutes of the game, and were up by as much as 32 in the second half. With 8:34 still to play, the ``Orange Krush'' student section broke into chants of ``OVERRATED!'' In the final minutes of the game, there were chants of ``WE'RE No. 1.'' The Illini have now beaten both No. 1 teams that visited Assembly Hall. They beat then-No. 1 Michigan State 57-55 in 1979 though if it's any consolation to the Demon Deacons, the Spartans still went on to win the national championship that year. Illinois (5-0) has now won 35 straight at home against non-conference opponents, a streak that dates back to Nov. 17, 1998. The Illini are 67-3 overall at Assembly Hall since the 2000-01 season. Wake Forest (5-1) opened the season 5-0 and climbed to No. 1 for the first time in school history. Though the Demon Deacons had impressive spurts on their way to winning the preseason NIT last weekend at Madison Square Garden, they also looked at times like a team still trying to find its rhythm, getting tested by both Providence and then-No. 18 Arizona. But the Illini are a cut above Providence and Arizona, and the Demon Deacons were no match for them. Especially not on ``Paint the Hall Orange'' night, when the 16,500-seat Assembly Hall was sold out with almost all of the fans in bright orange. Even Illini coach Bruce Weber was sporting a dayglo orange blazer, so loud even Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser had to chuckle when they shook hands before the game. That was about all that made Prosser and the Deacons laugh. The Demon Deacons were held to 39 percent shooting, and two of their best players were never a factor. Chris Paul, the leading vote-getter on the AP's preseason All-America team, had just 10 while Justin Gray, MVP of the preseason NIT, had 11. Eric Williams, the other member of Wake Forest's big three, had 18 on 7-of-13 shooting. Though the Demon Deacons had a definite size advantage inside, Illinois never let them use it, harassing and badgering them anytime they tried to get close to the basket. And Wake had no answer for Illinois' speed or its smoothness. Illinois returns all five of its starters and its top 10 scorers from last year's team that reached the regional semifinals, and their familiarity shows. The Illini shot a blistering 60 percent in the first half, including 8-of-16 from 3-point range as they raced out to a 54-33 lead. They had assists on 27 of their 38 baskets, and they played with a crispness that will make opposing coaches jealous and a little ill. Take Deron Williams, the preseason pick for Big Ten player of the year. He was scoreless in the first half after playing only eight minutes because of foul trouble and finished with only eight points. But he had a team-high 11 assists, including a beautiful pass in the first half. Williams was driving the baseline and could easily have fought for the basket. Instead, he made a last-second, no-look dish to Head, who scored an easy layup. There were stretches the Illini were so dominant they looked like the Globetrotters against one of their many patsies. Levy's layup cut Illinois' lead to 33-22 with 7:32 left in the half, but the Illini came roaring right back. Brown fed Augustine for what was supposed to be an alleyoop, but the ball rolled around until it finally dropped through the hoop a symbol of what kind of night it was for Illinois. That sparked a 10-4 run fed almost solely by Brown and Powell that put Illinois up 43-26. Paul finally ended the run with a jumper, but Brown and Powell were at it again. Brown scored on a baseline jumper and a 3, and Powell hit another 3 before scoring on what had to be the most dazzling shot of the night. Working the shot clock down almost to the end and with no one open to pass, Powell spun away from one Wake defender and put up the softest of hook shots. The crowd oohed as the ball settled into the basket for the 54-33 lead, and the game may as well have ended at halftime.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/12/145859