Brad Underwood Named to the Naismith Coach of the Year Watch List

It was announced on Friday that Illinois head coach Brad Underwood was named to the Naismith National Coach of the Year Watch List. Underwood joins an elite group that includes projected NCAA Tournament one-seeds and future Hall of Fame coaches. Coaches such as Kelvin Sampson, Dan Hurley, Bill Self, Tom Izzo, and Dusty May also made the list.

Bruce Weber is the only Illinois coach to ever win the award, earning the honor during the historic 37–2 season that ended with a National Championship game appearance. Weber was also the last Big Ten coach to win the award and just the second Big Ten coach to do so.

Underwood is now in his ninth season as Illinois head coach. He has yet to win a Coach of the Year award. Despite leading the Big Ten in total wins since 2020, he has never been named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Illinois finished first or second in the conference in 2021, 2022, and 2024. Despite this, Underwood has still not received the honor.

Since his arrival in Champaign, Chris Holtmann, Juwan Howard, Greg Gard, Chris Collins, Fred Hoiberg, Matt Painter, and Tom Izzo have all earned Big Ten Coach of the Year recognition.

The 2025-2026 season thus far

Illinois entered the season ranked No. 17 nationally in the AP Poll and No. 4 in the Big Ten preseason poll. While the Illini boast significant talent, they are still exceeding expectations relative to their preseason outlook.

Brad Underwood has accumulated 187 wins at Illinois, which already ranks fourth in program history behind Bruce Weber, Harry Combes, and Lou Henson. Henson spent 21 seasons as Illinois head coach and recorded 421 wins, while Combes tallied 316 victories in 20 years.

Becoming the second-winningest coach in program history is within reach for Underwood if he remains in Champaign for several more seasons. At 62 years old, he is 129 wins away from tying Combes for second place on the all-time wins list.

Brad Underwood will also likely surpass Lou Henson for the most NCAA Tournament appearances by an Illinois head coach. Additionally, he already holds the program record for conference tournament championships.

While it may be unlikely that Underwood ultimately wins the Naismith National Coach of the Year award, being named to the watch list is a significant accomplishment. He has proven himself to be one of the top coaches in the country this season and has this Illini team firmly in the conversation for a Final Four run.

_______________________________________

Thank you for reading Armchair Illini! The Armchair team is proud to partner with Hamilton Walker’s Seafood and Spirits. Reserve your table HERE. Enter our home game giveaways on our social media pages to win a $50 gift card.

We are also proud to partner with the Campus Ink Illini NIL Store! Use the code: ARMCHAIRILLINI for 15% off your purchase. Please subscribe to the Armchair Illini Podcast on YouTube here.

Above all, for feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at alexkyi13@gmail.com. Additionally, please use our Seatgeek code for $20 off your purchase on Seatgeek.com: ARMCHAIRILLINOIS. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing Illinois media outlets around.

Finally, subscribe to our newsletter here for more Illinois news! Go Illini!