“Williams can tie it with a three… he does!!”

Marching Up the Mountain

The 2005 Regional Final is the best comeback game in college basketball history.

As March once again comes roaring in and college basketball is ramping up to its most prestigious event, I’m excited to see the University of Illinois in the thick of things. This year’s team is headed for a 2 seed and could make an incredible run. I know I’m excited.

College basketball is a series of cycles. Sometimes you’re riding high for a few years, and sometimes you’re on the downward slope, hoping to head back up the mountain of greatness. Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman talked about climbing that mountain in 2016:

When faced with climbing the biggest mountains, I know only one approach to take: look not up, because the size of the task might be daunting, but instead look down and focus on placing one foot in front of the next, trusting that you will reach your destination by concentrating on each small step to get there. In that way — with steady, tough progress — we will reach the mountaintop.

As I think about that mountain, I’m reminded of the previous peak of Illinois basketball success: The 2005 Regional Final. You might think the National Championship game was the top, but you’d be wrong. The moment Illinois basketball fans remember is the Arizona game, not the loss to the…