[TomWilkinson]

Dee Brown scored 14 points and #12 Illinois held off North Carolina 68-64 on Tuesday night in a rematch of last season's NCAA championship game.

"That was a fun basketball game," Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said. "If you didn't care who won, you had to enjoy that. The problem is we care deeply whether you win or lose. But I'm really proud of my team."

Most of the players from last year’s title game that North Carolina won 75-70 were gone, but the game still had a high level of play. James Augustine added 13 points and 13 rebounds for Illinois (6-0). The Illini also snapped the Tar Heels' 21-game home winning streak.

A day earlier Illinois head coach Bruce Weber broke his ankle working in his yard. "This morning, I'll be honest, I didn't think I'd be here, because I was dying and some good medicine makes a difference," Weber said. "I'd rather have me have a broken bone than one of our players." It also helped that Dee Brown is still around and hitting the big shots when needed.