ST. LOUIS -- One by one, Illinois crossed off the goals it had set months earlier.

A No. 1 ranking. The Big Ten regular-season and conference titles. A top seed in the NCAA tournament. A spot in the Final Four.

But the only thing the Illini couldn't accomplish was the goal they wanted to achieve most, what they said out loud after every practice: a national championship.

"We wanted to win, but it didn't work out that way," James Augustine said after Illinois lost, 75-70, to North Carolina in the NCAA title game Monday night. "It's disappointing. We had a great season, but we wanted it to end better."

The Illini had one of the most impressive seasons college basketball has seen in a while. Their 15-week stay at No. 1 was the longest uninterrupted stretch in nearly a decade, and they went undefeated until the regular-season finale. Their 37 wins tied the NCAA record for one season, matching Duke (1986, '99) and UNLV ('87).

Win the national title and the Illini would have secured their spot as one of the all-time great teams, joining the likes of Indiana's 1976 team and any of UCLA's national champions.

"I already think it's a success," point guard Deron Williams said when asked to grade the season.

Coach Bruce Weber said losing in the title game shouldn't diminish what Illinois did.

"Tied the most wins ever, No. 1 for all the time. You get to the championship game," he said. "I mean, if you're not happy with this, I feel sorry for you, because life ain't getting better."