Illinois Basketball: How Brad Underwood has rebuilt the Illini program

Underwood has brought the Illini out of the cellar in the Big Ten and is looking to make them nationally relevant year in and year out.

When the head coaching position for the Illinois Basketball team became available, Brad Underwood was offered the position. The then-head coach at Oklahoma State was hired away from OSU after just one season in Stillwater, replacing newly fired head coach John Groce at Illinois.

When offered the position, Underwood didn’t hesitate. While he spent time coaching at Western Illinois as an assistant, he admired the coaching staff and program that Illinois had built for men’s basketball. When asked about the opportunity to take the job, the current Illinois coach was clearly happy with the outcome.

"Coaching basketball at the University of Illinois is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity … I want to thank Josh Whitman for the opportunity to join the Fighting Illini family and look forward to working with him to build a championship program.– Illinois Head Coach Brad Underwood via Associated Press/ESPN"

He is no stranger to winning either. As the head coach at Stephen F. Austin, he led the Lumberjacks to the NCAA tournament in each of his three years at the helm. Following the hiring away of him by Oklahoma State, Underwood continued his success by leading the Cowboys to the NCAA tournament in his lone season at OSU. For a Fighting Illini team that has not made the tournament since 2013, Underwood was a no-doubt hire for Illinois.

After posting sub-.500 records in his first two seasons at the helm, Underwood and the Illini shot into the Big Ten title picture during the 2019-2020 season. The Illini finished 21-10 (13-7) and finished 4th in the Big Ten standings. The Illini finished the season with 3 wins over ranked teams alongside a sweep of Michigan and a 7-game winning streak in the middle of Big Ten play. If the season had not been cut short by Covid-19, the Illini would have surely made the NCAA tournament.

The Illini have secured a top-50 recruit in the last three classes (including 2020) and Underwood has been using this talent wisely. Big-time players are beginning to take notice of the Illini and a lot of that has to do with the job that Underwood has been doing since he arrived in Champaign.

Taking over a program with a lot of rich history in basketball can be a daunting task to some, but Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman felt as though Underwood would be the man to bring the Illini back to where they were in the early 2000’s.

While only three seasons in, the Illini look to be headed in the right direction under Underwood and his staff. If they are able to continue to bring in high-level talent and win games on a consistent basis, it is very possible that Illinois basketball could be back in national relevance before too long.