Front and center

ST. LOUIS -- The Illinois big men have taken so many digs this year, it's a wonder they don't feel small.

They're too puny, and not nearly nasty enough. They're one-dimensional. They're not the game-changing force their guards are. Put the Illini up against a team with a stellar frontcourt, the thinking goes, and they will get pushed aside like dust bunnies.

In short, they're not North Carolina.

"If you look at our team, the perimeter vs. the inside guys, I guess you could say the inside guys are a weakness just because our guards are that good," Illinois center-forward Jack Ingram said Sunday. "They're three All-American guards. Compared to our guards, we are the weakness of the team.

"But I think we've proven over the last couple of years we can compete."

But they don't give national championships for trying hard. If the Illini (37-1) are going to have any chance of beating the Tar Heels (32-4) tonight and winning their first NCAA title, the bigs are going to have come up, well, big.

"If we win this game, it's going to be in large part because of our frontcourt," center Nick Smith said. "It's pretty simple."

The Illini spent the last 15 weeks of the year at No. 1 and didn't lose a game until the regular-season finale. Yet there were plenty of people who weren't convinced they were really that good. They held onto their No. 1 ranking after that loss to Ohio State, but 22 voters opted for North Carolina, a team that already had three losses.

And the Tar Heels' bigs were the main reason, three 6-foot-9 players who control the inside like they own the place.

Sean May is daunting enough, a blend of muscle and finesse who averages double figures in points and rebounds. He's impossible to budge when he gets around the basket, but he's got quickness and agility after dropping 15 pounds in the offseason.

Jawad Williams led the team in scoring before he tailed off at the end of the season. He broke out of his slump Saturday night, scoring 20 points for the first time since Feb. 27. Marvin Williams was the ACC Rookie of the Year, averaging 12 points and almost seven rebounds a game off the bench.

"I think our three-man rotation with bigs can bother them a little bit," May said. "If we get them in foul trouble, make them get into their bench a little bit, make Ingram play more than (James) Augustine or (Roger) Powell, that's to our advantage."

Illinois' biggest shortcoming is its size. The 7-foot-2 Smith is the team's only true center, but he weighs the same (250) as May. And he doesn't play much. He's played a total of 21 minutes in five NCAA tournament games and sat the entire regional championship game against Arizona -- another team with a disruptive frontcourt.

Augustine and Ingram are 6-10, but neither will ever be mistaken for brawny. Powell can be a brute inside, but he's 6-foot-6. And he'll probably be on May.

"They just really create matchup problems. They're long and athletic and can really shoot outside," Ingram said. "We're going to have to probably guard them with more than one person at a time."

For all their shortcomings, though, the Illinois big men have managed to get it done this year. Or at least limit the damage. When the Illini routed Wake Forest, center Eric Williams had 18 points, but All-American guard Chris Paul had his worst game of the year.

Arizona's Channing Frye should make a highlight tape out of his performance in the regional final. When it came to overtime, though, Frye couldn't get anywhere near the ball.

"It's going to be difficult," Powell acknowledged. "(But) we take pride in our defense. That's something we really focus on and we enjoy it. Not a lot of teams enjoy playing defense. We have fun."

The Illini's big guys can score a little, too. Powell scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half Saturday to get Illinois into the championship game, making shots from inside and out. Augustine was the MVP of the Big Ten tournament, averaging 12.7 points and 10.3 rebounds, and he led the conference in field goal percentage (63.6).

Ingram made back-to-back 3s to spark Illinois' win at Wisconsin.

"We're ready for the game, whether it's North Carolina or whoever we played in the first game of the year," Augustine said. "It has nothing to do with the criticism of the big men. We have to come ready to play every game."