Brad Underwood Reflects on His Coaching Journey to the Final Four

As the Fighting Illini are settling in at Indianapolis and preparing for tomorrow’s Final Four matchup with UConn, the sheer magnitude of the moment has certainly warranted a reflection upon the journey it took to get to this moment, over two decades in the making for the Illini and their 9th-year head coach. In a one-on-one conversation with NBC Sports college basketball analyst John Fanta, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood offered a reflection on the journey that brought him to the sport’s biggest stage.

Specifically, Fanta posed a great question: what would Underwood say to his former self in 1986, when he was a graduate assistant at Hardin-Simmons University?

Amid all of the chaos that comes with being a head coach during the Final Four weekend, Underwood took a moment to reflect with Fanta on the path that led him here. For Underwood, it’s a journey he wouldn’t change.

When Fanta asked what he would say to his former self, he stated, “Don’t change… Do everything that I did.“

He continued, “My journey has been incredible. I have been the most blessed person on the planet. My wife of 38 years, three great kids, a lot of great stops that people may not think, ‘whatever, whatever’ – They’ve been great for Brad Underwood. I met great people, that’s been one of the great things about this run, is people in all of those stops. Reaching out… they’re actually coming… I wouldn’t change a thing.’”

NEW: My conversation with Brad Underwood from the Final Four! On how this Illinois team has reached the program’s first Final Four since 2005, what he would tell his younger self about the journey to getting here, what makes Keaton Wagler so special and much more. pic.twitter.com/NVgVdO0DGL

— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) April 3, 2026

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