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Illinois-Louisville Matchups

Saturday, April 2, 2005; Page D14

_____Other Matchups_____

Reserves

Senior center Jack Ingram has been the only consistent player off Illinois' bench during the NCAA tournament. He is strong around the rim and can shoot from the perimeter. The Illini's other reserves have combined to score just 10 points in the four NCAA games. The Cardinals' top three reserves -- guards Lorrenzo Wade and Brandon Jenkins and forward Otis George -- have combined to average about 15 points per game. George, who is playing with a stress fracture in his right foot, has scored 14 points in the last two games.

Coaches

Bruce Weber has done a remarkable job in his second season at Illinois, guiding the Illini to a 29-game winning streak to the start the season. He is coaching in his first Final Four, after spending 18 years as an assistant at Purdue and then five years as the coach at Southern Illinois. Louisville's Rick Pitino might be one of the best big-game coaches in college basketball history. He has guided three schools to the Final Four, winning a national championship at Kentucky in 1996. Pitino is a solid tactician and his 2-3 zone defense has confused many opponents.

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Back Courts
Illinois has the best trio of guards in college basketball. Dee Brown is the fastest player in the country; Luther Head is the team's leading scorer and top defender; and Deron Williams is the team's best NBA prospect, a deft passer who has played better than anyone during the NCAA tournament. They can all penetrate, drive and shoot three-pointers. Louisville guards Taquan Dean and Larry O'Bannon aren't bad, either. Dean has made 120 three-pointers this season, a Louisville record, and O'Bannon has averaged 18.6 points and shot 59.1 percent in the last nine games.

Front Courts

Illinois is a much better team when forwards James Augustine and Roger Powell Jr. are involved in the offense. Augustine has played well down the stretch -- his 41 rebounds in the NCAA tournament are the third-highest total, and he scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 71-59 win over Nevada in the second round. The Illini don't have a player as lanky as Louisville forward Francisco Garcia, who has scored 20 points or more in three of the last four games. Freshman Juan Palacios is averaging 8.1 rebounds in the last seven games, and senior Ellis Myles has strong hands and a wide frame.


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