Virginia Tech Rallies Past Illinois
Virginia Tech 54, Illinois 52
Saturday, March 17, 2007; Page E01
COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 16 -- Jamon Gordon sat in front of his locker Friday night, still numb from what had just happened. In his mind, he had seen -- and done -- the impossible.
"We weren't supposed to win that game," Gordon said. "I don't care what anybody says."
 Virginia Tech guards Jamon Gordon, left, and Deron Washington celebrate in the final seconds of the Hokies' win over Illinois. (Tony Dejak - AP)   The Gators are too much to handle in an 84-75 victory over Ohio State for their second straight national championship. On Hoops: Florida is a team for the ages, because in winning back-to-back national titles they took a very good team's best shot and still came out victorious. The Buckeyes are setback by the Gators' three-point shooting every time they try to make a run. Greg Oden, the public introvert, and Joakim Noah, the unabashed extrovert, share a common desire to savor college. Select CompanyFlorida joined a small group who repeated as men's basketball champion:Oklahoma State 1945-46 Kentucky 1948-49 San Francisco 1955-56 Cincinnati 1961-62 UCLA 1964-65, 1967-73 Duke 1991-92 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPFINAL FOURREGIONAL FINALSSouth West Midwest EastMULTIMEDIA Photos: Snapshots from the 2007 NCAA tournament. Video: Charting Texas freshman Kevin Durant's rapid rise to the top. Video: Post columnist Sally Jenkins talks about Durant. ON OUR SITETeam-by-Team Analysis:Coaching Tree: The Six Degrees of March's Mayhem (PDF) Flashback: A Quarter-Century Worth of Memories (PDF) TOURNEY TRACKER Share and compare your NCAA brackets. Virginia Tech Hokies
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Down by 13 with eight minutes left and 10 with 4 1/2 remaining, fifth-seeded Virginia Tech stunned 12th-seeded Illinois, 54-52, in the first round of the West Region of the NCAA tournament. Deron Washington lifted the Hokies, scoring eight of his team-high 14 points in the final 4 minutes 18 seconds, including a bank shot from the center of the lane with 46 seconds remaining that gave Virginia Tech the lead for good.
Virginia Tech held Illinois scoreless with a desperate, full-court press for the final 4:27, earning a Sunday date with Southern Illinois. The Hokies' magical season rolled on, against all odds and logic, in their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1996.
Virginia Tech took the lead for the first time since early in the first half with 46 seconds left. The Hokies spread the floor for Zabian Dowdell, and Illinois forward Warren Carter guarded him. Dowdell recognized the quickness mismatch instantly and barreled to the hoop, and three Illini defenders converged on him.
Washington leaked to the middle of the lane, alone, 12 feet from the basket. He curled into an open spot as Dowdell delivered a pass. Washington elevated, leaning slightly backward.
"Just like a regular practice," Washington thought. "Dribble, drive, pull up."
When he released the ball, Washington thought it was short; he had been leaving his shots short in practice lately, and this one felt the same. From the bench, Markus Sailes thought, "Please, go in," as Washington jumped. As he saw the flight of the ball, he hoped it would bounce high off the rim so Coleman Collins would have a chance to get a rebound. A.D. Vassallo thought the same thing, so he charged in for the rebound, ready to sprint back on defense.
But the ball caromed softly off the backboard, then fell through the net.
"That," Gordon said, "was luck."
Said Sailes: "The man above, the basketball gods wanted us to win. We had a lot of things going our way."
The Hokies needed all the breaks they could get. They fell behind by 13 with 8:18 left to play. As the Illini surged, Gordon thought, "I don't want my career to end like this," but the pace of the game sent Gordon toward a bitter end.
