Basketball

Brad Underwood proud of number one retention in the country heading into 2026 season

Brad Underwood has turned Illinois basketball into a consistent contender in the Big Ten

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Credit to David Pollak, staff photographer at Armchair Illini @Mushlik

Brad Underwood and Illinois basketball are less than two months away from their first exhibition on the road vs the Cincinnati Bearcats. Underwood and his crew enter the season with momentum, yet high expectations. He sat for an interview with CBS College Basketball analyst Jon Rothstein to talk about the upcoming season and reflect on what was a historic season for the Illini.

One quote that stuck out from the interview:

“We didn’t win the No. 1 recruiting battle in the country; we didn’t have the No. 1 transfer portal group in the country, but I’ll argue with you, we might have the No.1 retention group in the country,” Underwood said. “To me, that’s one of the most important things.”

Illinois basketball returns over 60 percent of its scoring from a team that went to the Final Four. David Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic, the Ivisic twins, and Jake Davis all played major roles on the team, and all look to build on what was a successful 2025-2026 season. When Illinois is healthy, they are dangerous and one of the best teams in college basketball. Can Brad Underwood channel that into another deep run in March?

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