​Jul. 15—SAVOY — During the past four decades of Illinois men’s basketball, only two teams know what it is like the season AFTER the Final Four.The most recent came during the 2005-06 season, when Dee Brown, James Augustine and friends followed the 2005 NCAA runner-up finish. That memorable season still remains the most successful squad in program history.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe 2005-06 Illinois team had to learn how to win without a pair of first-round NBA draft picks — Deron Williams and Luther Head — plus underrated starter Roger Powell Jr. All three were such vital cogs for the 37-2 Illini during the 2004-05 season.Bruce Weber’s team climbed as high as No. 6 in the polls in the 2005-06 season. Among the highlights were a win at North Carolina, a 32-point victory against Missouri in the Braggin’ Rights game and a pair of victories against Top 10 Michigan State. The Spartans got revenge in the Big Ten tournament opener with a five-point win at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.Illinois earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament and was sent to San Diego for its early-round games, with the Illini opening with a 78-69 win against Air Force in the first round.In the second round against Washington and star Brandon Roy, Illinois held an 11-point lead in the second half. But the Huskies rallied to win 67-64, ending Brown’s decorated college career. The Illini finished 26-7 and ranked No. 13 in the final regular-season poll. Post-tournament polls weren’t added until 2024.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBig shoes to fillLike in 2005-06, the 1989-90 Illini returned a star guard: Kendall Gill. Plus starter Stephen Bardo and sixth-man Marcus Liberty.And just like in 2005-06, the Gill-led team lost a pair of NBA draft picks from the previous season: Nick Anderson and Kenny Battle.Gill and Liberty were the only double-figure scorers, though Andy Kaufmann and Bardo were close.Lou Henson’s team started the season 11-0, climbing to No. 4 in the national polls.But a blowout 91-74 loss at Minnesota on Jan. 6 set up a rocky finish for Illinois. The team closed with a 10-8 stretch in the days before the Big Ten tournament.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIllinois entered the NCAA tournament as a No. 5 seed in the 64-team field. It was sent to Austin, Texas, where it fell 88-86 in an upset against No. 12 seed Dayton in the first round.What went wrong?”The year after our Final Four, we didn’t really follow the blueprint, but we didn’t have the same personnel either,” Gill said on Monday during his annual charity golf outing at the University of Illinois Orange and Blue courses. “We didn’t have guys who had 40-inch vertical jumps at every position. We had to somewhat change that style.”What’s next?Now, it is the current team’s job to follow one that reached the Final Four.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFive of the top-eight players are back, with three returning — Andrej Stojakovic, David Mirkovic and Tomislav Ivisic