Tale of 2 tandems

Three years ago, IU coach Mike Davis welcomed a pair of heralded backcourt recruits to Bloomington in Bracey Wright and Marshall Strickland. At the time, Davis declared that in a few seasons, the duo had the potential to progress into one of the best guard tandems in the nation. \nA mere 170 miles to the west in Champaign, Ill., Bill Self and his Illinois coaching staff welcomed a backcourt duo of their own in Dee Brown and Deron Williams. \nCoincidently, Self plucked Williams from the same high school Davis found Wright, with the latter receiving more acclaim and praise, ranking as the No. 1 shooting guard in the country according to www.Rivals.com and earning an invite to participate in the McDonald's All-American Game. \nWilliams and Brown were also highly touted, with Brown joining Wright in New York City for the 2002 All-American game. \nThe Hoosiers were just coming off a trip to the National Championship game and the perception was that more of the same was yet to come.\nDavis was dealt a blow when his All-American sophomore Jared Jeffries declared for the NBA. However, the Hoosiers raced out to an 8-0 start to the 2002-03 campaign, reaching as high as No. 6 in the country. Wright received local and national acclaim as perhaps the next great IU guard joining the ranks of Isiah Thomas, Steve Alford, Calbert Cheaney and A.J. Guyton. The sky was the limit for the young Hoosier guard and the expectations for future NCAA success grew with every win.\nBut alas, the Hoosiers leveled off, finished the season with a respectable 21-13 record and fell to Pittsburgh in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.\nConference mate Illinois suffered the same fate, falling in the second round to Notre Dame. But Brown and Williams' first taste of tournament play would leave them hungry for more. With the graduation of big man Brian Cook and the defection of coach Self to Kansas, the young guards were handed the reigns of the Illini and refused to look back. \nLed by Brown and Williams, the Illini reached the Sweet Sixteen last season before bowing out to Duke. The Hoosiers finished with their first losing season in over 30 years and failed to make the tournament for the first time in 18 seasons. \nIn their three years in Champaign, the backcourt duo has amassed a record of 90-14 compared to IU's 50-42 clip during the same stretch. The combination of Brown and Williams is now receiving the national recognition Davis had once predicted for his own backcourt tandem. \nSaturday saw Illinois trail Arizona by 15 with four minutes to play before the guard pair of Williams and Brown caught fire, leading a miraculous comeback and sending the orange and blue to a place the cream and crimson had been just a scant three years earlier -- the Final Four. \nNow, Williams and Brown are the toast of the nation, legends back in the Land of Lincoln and are two wins away from completing their journey toward greatness. \nAnd how about the Hoosier duo? \nWright has probably played his last game in an IU jersey and Strickland is left wondering whether or not his position on the team is secure with the recent influx of talent. \nSo as the Illini, buoyed by the best backcourt in the country, head to St. Louis, Wright and Strickland are left watching the games like the rest of us -- from the comfort of our own couch.