Illinois left just one task undone on to-do list

ST. LOUIS -- One by one, Illinois crossed off the goals it had set months earlier.

A No. 1 ranking. The Big Ten regular-season and conference titles. A top seed in the NCAA tournament. A spot in the Final Four.

But the only thing the Illini couldn't accomplish was the one goal they really wanted, what they said out loud after every practice: a national championship.

"We wanted to win, but it didn't work out that way," James Augustine said after Illinois lost 75-70 to North Carolina in Monday night's NCAA title game. "It's disappointing. We had a great season, but we wanted it to end better."

The Illini had one of the most impressive seasons college basketball has seen in a while. Their 15-week stay at No. 1 was the longest uninterrupted stretch in nearly a decade, and they went undefeated until the regular-season finale. Their 37 wins tied the NCAA record for most in a season, matching Duke (1986, 1999) and UNLV (1987).

Win the national title, and the Illini would have secured their spot as one of the all-time great teams, joining the likes of Indiana's 1976 team and any of those from UCLA.

Instead, Illinois came up short in its biggest game. All of those impressive statistics and records from the regular season didn't matter much when the Tar Heels were partying on the floor.

Despite everything Illinois did, it's the champions people remember.

"I already think it's a success," point guard Deron Williams said when asked to grade the season. "Our goal was to get to the Final Four, compete for the national championship. We did that. It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth, not getting to cut down the nets. Not getting to see the seniors go out with a bang like we wanted them to."

But coach Bruce Weber said losing in the title game -- especially to a team like North Carolina -- shouldn't diminish what Illinois did. This will always be a special team, regardless of the score of the final game.

"Tied the most wins ever, No. 1 for all the time. You get to the championship game," he said. "I mean, if you're not happy with this, I feel sorry for you, because life ain't getting better."

It's certainly going to change for the Illini.

After having the same nucleus of players the last three years -- they've used the same starting lineup for the last 42 games -- they're about to undergo a dramatic overhaul. Luther Head, the team's leading scorer, and starting forward Roger Powell Jr. are seniors, as are reserve big men Jack Ingram and Nick Smith.

The other two members of the vaunted guard trio might be gone, too. Williams is a junior, but he's expected to go to the NBA. Big Ten defensive player of the year Dee Brown, also a junior, could jump, too.

Augustine should be back, and Illinois has talented young players like Warren Carter, Calvin Brock and Brian Randle. But it will take time for the new team to gel, and there's no guarantee it'll work as hard or be as unselfish as the current group.

"We've got some young, good talent on our team," Brown said. "I think coach Weber will do a great job of getting us focused the next couple of weeks."

It won't be the same, though. So as Weber hugged his seniors in the locker room Monday night, he couldn't help but cry. He'll have more good teams, maybe even one that wins Illinois its first national title someday. But he'll never have a squad quite like this.

When Weber arrived two summers ago, he wasn't exactly welcomed by his players. They were still feeling the pain of Bill Self's sudden departure, and weren't too eager to let someone new in. Slowly, though, Weber won them over, and they grew into a tight-knit, unselfish bunch that almost won it all.

"Just the whole journey. It was just so much fun," Weber said when asked what he'll remember from this year. "I kind of cried in front of the team (at) the last meeting. You don't want it to end, and we knew it's going to be the last game.

"I'm just sad it's over."