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Stadium:
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The Assembly Hall is a large dome-shaped indoor arena located in Champaign, Illinois, and is part of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Hall hosts games for the Fighting Illini men's and women's basketball teams, and doubles as a performance and event center. The Assembly Hall opened on March 2, 1963 and continues to attract attention for its design and construction. Four hundred feet across, it at one time was one of only two edge-supported domes in the world. The roof is supported by 614 miles of one-quarter inch steel wire wrapped at the base of the dome under intensive pressure. The architect was Max Abramovitz, a distinguished University of Illinois alumnus. The third largest Illinois arena after the United Center in Chicago and the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Assembly Hall has nearly 16,000 permanent seats, but when portable chairs are placed on the floor for an in-the-round performance there is a potential of up to 17,200 depending on the size of the stage.

Team History:
In 2004-2005 the Illini went 37-2 tying the record for most wins in a season. They lost in the National Championship to the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Illini won the Big Ten regular season and tournament which was held in Chicago. They gained a #1 seed in the "big dance" and posted one of the most memorable games in NCAA history against Arizona. Down 15 points with around 4 minutes left, the Illini sparked a run led by Deron Williams. The game was sent into overtime and the orange and blue pulled off the one point win to advance to the Final Four in St. Louis. Against the Louisville Cardinals in the Final Four they won in their final victory of the season. The Illini had all 5 starters; Deron Williams, Luther Head, Dee Brown, James Augustine, and Roger Powell, Jr.; eventually play in the NBA. Deron Williams and Dee Brown both play for the Utah Jazz and Luther Head plays for the Houston Rockets. Coach Bruce Weber also won many Coach of the Year awards.

Season Preview:
A judge on Tuesday dismissed a pair of lawsuits that claimed the University of Illinois broke state law when it shelved its American Indian mascot, Chief Illiniwek. One of the lawsuits, filed by the two students who used to don the costumes at men's basketball and football games, had also accused the NCAA of coercing the university to drop Chief Illiniwek by imposing sanctions against its athletic teams. Champaign County Judge Michael Jones, an Illinois graduate, said the university was within its rights when it decided in February to eliminate the chief. Tom Hardy, a spokesman for the University of Illinois, said it expected and welcomed the decision. "The judge carefully considered all of the arguments in this case and found in favor of the university, as we expected he would, and we are satisfied with today's ruling," he said.

Official Site:
fightingillini.cstv.com