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Illinois Basketball and Brad Underwood Receive National Pundit’s Praise

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12 months ago

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Morez Johnson Jr is the best player in the state of Illinois. Without a doubt, the Illinois basketball signee is the leader for the Mr. Basketball title. Despite this, Morez Johnson was snubbed from the McDonald's All-American Game.
Dec 5, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood coaches against the Florida Atlantic Owls during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Illinois Basketball and Brad Underwood Receive National Pundit’s Praise

Illinois Basketball is back on the national stage. Yes, the fanbase is currently running high after a nice win against Florida Atlantic at Madison Square Garden. However, as a 2017 alum, it really has not sunk in how Illinois Basketball has become a consistent force in the Big Ten. After 6-7 years of rolling around in mediocrity with Bruce Weber and John Groce, Illinois Basketball had lost its luster. After John Groce failed to make the tournament for the fourth straight year, Josh Whitman make a quick and decisive decision to move on. Illinois landed on Brad Underwood. The first two years were very rough, however, I think the picture below encapsulates what Brad Underwood has been able to accomplish.

National Praise

CBS sports analyst and Insider, Matt Norlander, wrote an outstanding section in his recent work regarding Brad Underwood’s successes. Matt Norlander had some impressive stuff to say about Coach Underwood. “Tuesday’s conquest was the latest in a consistent line of victories over a ranked team for seventh-year Illini coach Brad Underwood. Tuesday was the 30th time his team played in a ranked-on-ranked matchup since 2019; he’s a reputable 16-14 in those games.” 

As above, Brad Underwood has gone 95-41 since the start of the 2019 season. That is pretty darn impressive. Norlander also said “The Illini have won more Big Ten games (56) than any other team in the past four-plus seasons; that doubles as a program record for most wins in that span.“

Still more to achieve

The main knock on Brad Underwood has been postseason success. He has not made a Sweet 16 since being at Illinois and Illinois Basketball has not made one since 2005. However, the regular season and conference record are a far better indicator of how much of a strong hire Brad Underwood was. He has elevated Illinois Basketball and has put the program in a position to continue its success. For that, he should be praised.

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Alex is the Owner of Armchairillini.com, your go-to source for in depth coverage of the Illinois Fighting Illini. Alex is also the head of content creation and editing on Armchair Illini. His expertise has landed articles featured in top media publications like Bleacher Report, YardBarker, Verbal Commits, CBS Sports and more.

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