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CHICAGO (AP) -- Frank Williams tuned in early and didn't drift
off. His put his various skills on full display and lifted Illinois
into the second round of the Midwest Regional.
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At the beginning of the season, do you think Bill Self would have been happy to play the first two rounds of the Tournament in Chicago, needing wins over San Diego State and Creighton to make the Sweet 16? Are you kidding me? If you had told him that before the season, he wouldn't have stopped smiling.
This Illinois team, much like Kentucky, is dangerous and seeking redemption for their days struggle-city during the season. Frank Williams clearly came to play today with a super first-half performance that set the tone for an easy Illini victory. Williams hit six of his first nine shots -- if he continues to play like that, Illinois is capable of making a run to Atlanta.
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Williams, whose talent sometimes is overshadowed by an attitude
toward the game that has been questioned, scored 25 points and had
eight assists Friday to lead the fourth-seeded Illini to an easy
93-64 victory over San Diego State.
"This is my last year and I want to go out with a bang. Guys
have been talking about this for a long time, and now this time has
come," Williams said.
"You've got to take this as far as you can go."
His critics have wondered why Williams seems to turn it on at
certain times and not at others, and if his inconsistencies will
cost him positioning in the draft. He came back to school this
season, waiting a year to go to the NBA.
Williams says he doesn't care, and his performance Friday was
not a notice to those who have questioned him.
"I didn't use that really. That's just something in my
personality. I just go out and play to the best of my ability when
there's a challenge," Williams said.
"I know it's time to play."
Illinois, 15-6 at the United Center since it opened in 1994,
enjoyed the benefits of the NCAA's new format that allows some
teams to stay closer to home in the opening rounds.
With 10 wins in its last 11 games, Illinois (25-8) moves on to
meet Creighton (23-8) on Sunday. The 12th-seeded Bluejays got a
Michael Jordan-like performance from No. 23 Terrell Taylor, whose
last-second 3-pointer in the second overtime beat Florida 83-82.
Williams had a career-high five 3-pointers and made back-to-back
alley-oop passes in the second half for dunks by freshman Luther
Head, who scored a career-high 19 points.
"You'll think Frank played unbelievable today because he made
shots," Illinois coach Bill Self said. "I like how he played
defense. I like him running through passes. I like how he got
teammates the ball as much as he made shots."
|  | | Frank Williams was on top of his game, scoring 25 points and dishing 8 assists to lead the Illini. |
San Diego State, in its first NCAA tournament appearance since
1985, couldn't handle the Illini's physical defense and aggressive
rebounding or stop Illinois, which shot 59 percent.
"We were beaten by the best team we've played all year," San
Diego State coach Steve Fisher said, shrugging off the Illini's
home-court advantage.
"If you're a good team and you're playing well, it doesn't
matter if you're playing at the Assembly Hall or the United Center.
I'm sure it helped them a little with the fans," Fisher said.
"But if they play with that fervor and confidence, they are going
to be a tough outing for anybody."
The 13th-seeded Aztecs (21-12) got 27 points from Al Faux and 18
from Tony Bland but were beaten 41-26 on the boards. They also made
just 39 percent of their shots to 59 percent for Illinois.
Williams got started early, leading a 21-5 run that resulted in
a 40-25 halftime lead.
He had a 3-pointer, hit a running bank shot after a nice fake
and then capped the spurt by jumping in front of a pass by the
Aztecs, stealing the ball and racing the length of the court for a
dunk.
That gave Illinois its biggest lead of the half at 37-19 and
sent the large contingent of orange-clad Illini fans into a tizzy.
Williams finished the half with 14 points, and Illinois made
seven 3-pointers to keep its distance.
When Williams hit three straight 3-pointers in the first 5½
minutes of the second half, Illinois' lead jumped to 58-34.
"You have to find a way to stop the runs or frustration settles
in. You have to make a defensive stop," Faux said. "We weren't
able to do that. They were bigger than us and Frank Williams made
plays."
Minutes after his 3-point barrage, Williams made another steal,
hurried down court and at the last second lofted a pass to Head,
who went high above the rim and slammed the ball with one hand.
Seconds later, there was a near-replay as Williams again came up
with a loose ball and tossed the ball to the 6-foot-3 Head for yet
another jam.
"I got great passes from Frank both times," Head said. "I
just tried to get two points. I wasn't trying to do anything fancy.
It might have looked like that, but I was just trying to get two
points."
Randy Holcomb, who played high school basketball in Chicago,
scored just nine points, eight under his team-high average.
Illinois finished 13-of-25 on 3-pointers, with Head and Cory
Bradford making three each.
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