Back in early December, Illinois announced that it would commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the most successful season in program history with bobblehead dolls of the 2004-05 starting lineup. Having already given away 1,000 Roger Powell Jr. dolls at the team’s win over then-No. 11 Maryland on January 7, Illinois will hand out 1,000 James Augustine dolls at their game against Purdue January 21.
Illinois put the bobbleheads to good use, returning to Allstate Arena, the site of their Elite Eight victory over Arizona (the Wildcats led by 15 with 4:04 remaining) to recreate the comeback. A much smaller Deron Williams knocks down “The Shot” in the video above, with James Augustine watching the action from the bench having fouled out earlier in the contest.
Video credit: Fighting Illini Athletics