Illinois Basketball “Whole Again”

Illinois Basketball “Whole Again”

Illinois Basketball Head Coach Brad Underwood is pleased with where his team stands going into Nebraska in Champaign (Pregame here). As well as the rest of the Big Ten Schedule. A plethora of different issues have arisen thus far throughout the 2024 season, and have kept the Illini not nearly at 100%. Excuses were never made, and the Illini found ways to make wins happen. However, the road has not been easy in 2024.

To This Point

To start, you were missing your star Terrance Shannon Jr for a 6 game stretch. That never happens at a good time. However, right as the Illini are getting into the heart of the Big Ten schedule… The “Epitome of Brutality” to quote Jon Rothstein. Illinois had to find wins without Terrance. Great for the growth of this team, but surely unwanted stress for the Illinois coaching staff. You can also factor in the loss of PG Nico Moretti, who has been a surprise in 2024. The young guard provided consistently solid depth for Illinois early. However, Nico missed 10 games with a foot injury, dating back to November. Talented Freshman Armani Hansberry has also missed substantial time, including 7 games, due to a back injury. His impact has not been as needed up to this point, however,  practice makes perfect, and Armani Certainly makes this team better at Ubben.

“Whole Again”

Illinois Basketball held their Nebraska pregame press conference on Saturday (2/3). Coach Underwood took to the podium in confidence, and expressed pleasure in seeing so many key parts return for this team. To quote Coach Underwood “I like where we’re at because we’re whole again. We’re finally back in a position where we have our roster. We’ve played a lot to this point without somebody” Says Underwood in reference to Shannon Jr’s Absence. “It’s nice to just be able to kind of grow that way. I feel solid. ” says the Illini coach. To the tune of the entire presser, Underwood now feels  “very comfortable with where we’re at” going into the back end of this 2024 Big Ten basketball season.