With Most Outstanding Player Sean May's 26 points and a defense that did not allow a single basket in the last two-and-a-half minutes of play, the North Carolina Tar Heels defeated Illinois 75-70 to became the 2005 National Champs. This was North Carolina's fourth overall title, the fourth-most in NCAA history, and one more than archrival Duke. The win also gave 17-year coaching vet Roy Williams his first ever National Championship.

After beating Louisville 72-57, Illinois tied the NCAA single season record with 37 wins. Roger Powell Jr. and Luther Head scored 20 points apiece and led the Fighting Illini to the their best season in over a century. Illinois, the number one ranked team in the country since December, went on to face North Carolina in a close National Championship game.

Illinois fought back from a 15-point deficit to beat the Arizona Wildcats 90-89 in an overtime thriller. Luther Head and Deron Williams led the way on a spectacular 20-5 run which tied the game with a Williams 3-pointer. Both teams continued to battle it out for the next 5 minutes with Illinois edging out the Wildcats by only one point. Illinois went on to win the following game against Louisville earning a spot in the title game.

Top-seeded Illinois knocked the No.12 upstart Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers out of the tournament with a 77-63 victory. The Fighting Illini's Deron Williams and Dee Brown led Illinois to victory with a combined 42 points and 10 assists, however, the Panthers' Josh Tucker was the high scorer of the night with an amazing 32 points. Illinois advanced to the Elite Eight where they took on Arizona in an OT thriller.

Playing with a painful rib injury, Duke's Chris Duhon inspired his team to deliver a 72-62 win over Illinois by snagging a career-high 10 rebounds and dishing out eight assists. The game was close until about midway through the second half when the Blue Devil's took off and grabbed their spot in the Elite Eight and eventually the Final Four.

Kansas battled Illinois the entire game to exact revenge against the team that knocked them out of the tournament a year ago. Kansas emerged as victors in a 73-69 win against the Fighting Illini. The win propelled them into the Elite Eight where they shot the lights out in a 104-86 victory over Oregon.

Playing as the No. 1 team in the nation, Arizona beat Illinois in a 87-81 battle that advanced the Wildcats to their first Final Four appearance since winning the National Championship in 1997. The Fighting Illini were able close the gap to within three points with less than 2 minutes left in the game, however, the Wildcats held on and extended their winning streak to ten.

Frank Williams shot a career-high 30 points as the Fighting Illini won decisively over the Kansas Jayhawks. Illinois dominated the entire second half, however, Nick Collision, the Jayhawks' top scorer, kept things interesting with 23 points and 7 rebounds. The win earned Illinois their first trip to the Elite Eight in over a decade where they squared off against the Arizona Wildcats.