Big Ten Basketball: Ranking all 14 head coaches in 2023 offseason

3. Brad Underwood – Illinois

A former guard at Kansas State, things haven’t always been perfect for Underwood, but he’s had quite the successful last decade. Long before becoming a D1 head coach, he led a pair of junior colleges and had a long stint on Western Illinois’ bench in the 90’s. He was an assistant at Kansas State and South Carolina under Frank Martin before serving as head coach at Stephen F. Austin and Oklahoma State, winning a pair of Tournament upsets with the Lumberjacks.

Winning 89 games in three years at Stephen F. Austin is insane, but his work at Illinois these last six seasons has certainly turned some heads. The Fighting Illini program wasn’t in great shape when he took over in 2017, but he’s built them into a legitimate threat after just a few seasons. Illinois won the Big Ten tournament in 2021 and the regular season title in 2022, though they were upended early in both NCAA Tournaments.

You could argue that we’re overrating Underwood here, but his work at Stephen F. Austin remains sensational and he’s gotten the Illini playing a level of basketball we haven’t really seen for nearly two decades. The lack of postseason success is certainly a legitimate concern, but the Fighting Illini have made significant steps forward under his leadership, even more impressive with how much this roster has turned over in recent years.