The rosters were much different, and so was the result.

Dee Brown scored 14 points, Brian Randle grabbed a key rebound in the waning seconds and No. 12 Illinois held off North Carolina 68-64 on Tuesday night in a diluted 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."

No one expected a true rematch of the final because so many of the stars are now gone. Only seven remaining players on the two teams even played in that game, won 75-70 by North Carolina.

But this one had all the drama of a March Madness matchup, thanks to a furious rally led by a bunch of freshmen for the host Tar Heels.

James Augustine added 13 points and 13 rebounds for Illinois (6-0), which improved to 3-4 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Illini also snapped the Tar Heels' 21-game home winning streak despite scoring only four points in the final 61/2 minutes.

"It just feels good to get a road win," Brown said.

Tyler Hansbrough led North Carolina (3-1) with 17 points, and fellow freshman Marcus Ginyard had 14.

Illinois seemed to rally around injured coach Bruce Weber, who broke his ankle a day earlier working in his yard. He hobbled a bit on the sidelines with a protective boot, and used a crutch to travel from the locker room to the sideline.

"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."

The quartet of Hansbrough, Ginyard, Bobby Frasor and Danny Green scored all 29 Tar Heels points in the second half, including six clutch free throws from Hansbrough and 3-pointers by Frasor and Ginyard down the stretch.

Those points came during a 12-0 run to make it 64-62, and after the teams traded baskets, Illinois freshman Jamar Smith missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 17 seconds left. But Randle beat everyone to the rebound and quickly got the ball to Brown, who made two free throws to finally seal the victory.

"They're North Carolina," Augustine said. "You know they're going to have some good recruits."

Signs everywhere pointed to North Carolina being the defending champ, and even if any of the Illinois players missed the two banners hanging from the rafters, the students behind one basket furiously waved towels proclaiming "2005 National Champs."

It didn't seem to faze the Illini.

"Needless to say, James and Dee didn't seem to be too carried away or emotional," Williams said. "They were just businesslike."