Outstanding guard play is a common thread between this year's Sweet 16 teams with backcourts that include St. Joseph's Jameer Nelson and Delonte West, Oklahoma State's John Lucas and Tony Allen, Duke's Chris Duhon and J.J. Redick, and Illinois' Dee Brown and Deron Williams.
The Fighting Illini duo of sophomores Brown and Williams has taken time to learn to play well together, but have starred thus far in the NCAA Tournament in wins over Murray State and Cincinnati.
"They complement each other so well," Illinois head coach Bruce Weber said. "I think when one has a good game, the other one doesn't seem to get jealous."
For the Blue Devils, that spells trouble, ,as both are averaging better than 17 points a contest in the tournament and contribute in many aspects of the game not represented in the stat books.
In the opening round, Brown had the hot hand scoring 21 points while Williams dished out eight assists. Then in their second round win, Williams shot an impressive 10-for-13-including six three-pointers-for 31 points as Brown distributed eight assists. The combination has accounted for 26 assists and just two turnovers thus far in the NCAA's.
The teamwork has been a constant for Illinois all season long, even through Brown's midseason slump and an injury to Williams' jaw.
"A lot of other guys let their egos get in the way, but [Brown]'s ego-less," Fighting Illini assistant coach Wayne McClain told the Chicago Sun-Times during Brown's troubles earlier this year. "He's been one of our most vocal leaders. He's supported all the other guys. And he's continued to work hard on his game."
Brown, the preseason favorite for Big Ten player of the year, supported his teammate even while Williams stole the spotlight midseason. Brown refused to focus on the elusive player of the year honor, but rather concentrated on the team's Matt Heldman Award for inspired play which incorporates intangibles like hustle, diving for loose balls and drawing charges. As a result, he has earned even greater admiration from his teammates and coaches. "Everyone talks about how Deron's the heart and soul of our team, but Dee's our energy, and he's very unselfish," Weber told the Chicago Sun-Times. "He's bought in to doing the little things that make a difference more than anybody, and that's not easy to do." While Brown has consistently impacted games even without always scoring, Williams has greatly improved his offense from a year ago. He led the Big Ten in assists for the second straight year with 6.2 per contest and increased his scoring average nearly eight points, up to 14.2 points per game this season. In addition to their offensive contributions, the two players are also among the nation's best defenders. Brown, arguably one of the nation's quickest players, leads Illinois with 50 steals. "We [come] out every game and we want to guard now," Williams told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "That's our main focus, starting on the defensive end. As long as you've got that intensity, you're going to play great." With both Fighting Illini guards playing at the top of their game in the tournament, Duke will need to rely heavily on the defense of Chris Duhon, Daniel Ewing and Sean Dockery to match the speed and intensity Illinois likes to play with. "Their perimeter is one of the best in the country," Mike Krzyzewski said. "That's going to be the key for us, if we can stay with them."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.