By Marty Burns, SI.com

One Shining Moment

	Deron Williams caps the wild comeback with this 3-pointer. Doug Benc/Getty Images

It was an Easter Uprising of biblical proportions, a "miracle" in the words of Illinois guard Dee Brown. Down 15 points with four minutes to go, the Illini blitzed Arizona with an epic comeback Saturday night to steal victory and advance to the Final Four. "I still don't know what happened," an exhausted Illini guard Luther Head said long after he had cut down the nets.

What happened was that Illinois, with its dream season about to come to a crashing end before a heavily partisan home crowd, simply refused to lose. And the Wildcats, after controlling the game most of the second half, wilted. Illinois hit Arizona with a wall of white jerseys, a blizzard as white as the hair on Lute Olson's head -- if he has any hair left, that is.

Illinois outscored Arizona 20-5 down the stretch, including an 8-0 run in the final 1:03 to force overtime. Fittingly, Deron Williams, Brown and Head led the way. The three Illini stars, so key to their success all season, can put this one in their time capsule -- along with Brown's three steals against Michigan and that fabulous multi-pass sequence against Northwestern.

Saturday's memorable run began when Head took a pass from Williams and buried a 3-pointer to cut the Arizona lead to 80-75 with 54 seconds left. With the orange-clad crowd going crazy, Brown stripped Wildcats sophomore point guard Mustafa Shakur at midcourt. Williams scooped up the loose ball and fed Brown for a layup that pulled the Illini within 80-77 with 45 seconds left. Suddenly a miracle was within reach.

Literally. When Illinois forward Jack Ingram reached high to deflect a lob pass at the other end seconds later, and Williams cashed in with a cold-blooded 3-pointer to tie the game at 80-all, the Allstate Arena was roaring louder than the jets that seem to scrape its roof on the way to nearby O'Hare Airport.

Of course, Arizona still had one more chance. But the Illini defense forced Arizona's Jawann McClellan into a miss, and after Brown threw the ball away at midcourt, Head rushed over to block Salim Stoudamire's desperation shot at the top of the key to force the extra session.

It was a perfect illustration of Illinois' teamwork and defense all season -- and it was all they needed Saturday night. They went on to seize the win in overtime, giving them their first Final Four berth since 1989. Not to mention, an all-time classic NCAA tournament victory.

Player Who Impressed Me

On a night when Illinois had many heroes, Head set the tone for his never-say-die team. Despite a sore right hamstring, the 6-foot-3 senior played 39 minutes while contributing 20 points, three rebounds, two assists and four steals. His steal and layup with two minutes left in overtime proved to be the difference, giving the Illini a 90-84 lead.

Head often gets overlooked by the more celebrated Brown and Williams, but he is a valuable player for the Illini. On Saturday, he helped key a team defensive effort that limited the explosive Stoudamire to nine points on 2-of-13 shooting (including 1-of-7 from three-point range). He also continually attacked the basket, helping keep the Illini offense flowing.

Williams, who scored 18 of his 22 in the second half (with only one turnover) was the star of the game. Brown was his usual terrific self. But Head best represented what the Illini were all about Saturday night.

Courtside Confidential

One of the advantages of being the No. 1 team is to get a chance to play at home, and the Illini certainly took advantage. The Allstate Arena crowd was about 80 percent pro-Illinois, and they definitely gave their team an emotional lift. "The crowd helped us so much," Williams said. "When we got back into game, got the momentum, [the Arizona] players got rattled by that and we were able to take the game." Illinois is now 6-0 all-time in NCAA tournament games played in Chicago. ... The Wildcats did everything but win the game. They outshot Illinois (52.8 percent to 45.1 percent). They had more rebounds (37-32), more blocks (8-2), and the same number of assists (21). They hit 18-of-21 from the foul line to Illinois' 10-of-15 from the stripe. "We knew we were the better team tonight," McClellan said. "But the best team played the full game and we only played 36 minutes. ... Actor/comedian Bill Murray once again sat behind the Illini bench, as he did for Thursday's regional game. Late in the first half he got on his feet to exhort the Illini after Arizona went on a run to tighten the game, "C'mon. C'mon," he shouted as several Illinois bench players turned and looked in amusement.

Championship Formula

All year long Illinois had its doubters. Even after a 29-0 start, 15 straight weeks atop the national rankings, and a second straight Big Ten title, some believed they lacked the NBA-type star player needed to go all the way. Saturday's win over a quality Arizona team should put that notion to rest once and for all.

Illinois now heads to St. Louis with as good a chance as any team to win it all. But first they must contend with a Louisville team that is red hot. Rick Pitino's Conference USA champs have won 13 in a row and 22 of 23, and are coming off an emotional comeback victory of their own against West Virginia.

Louisville has the perimeter firepower in Francisco Garcia, Taquan Dean and Larry O'Bannon to match up with Illinois' quick guards, but it doesn't have much of an inside game. The key for the Illini will be to play its game, avoid turnovers and get a decent contribution from big men James Augustine and Roger Powell. They also need to stay out on Louisville's shooters. The Cardinals are 25-1 this season when making at least seven three-pointers.

But after Saturday's incredible comeback win, there's a feeling of destiny to this year's Illini team. As one NBA scout said: "Louisville's good, but I think the Illini are better. They've got those guards who defend... I think it's their year."