Fighting Illini Basketball Highlights Under Coach Underwood

• Program’s first NCAA Elite Eight appearance since advancing to 2005 national title game
• Big Ten’s winningest team in league play over last five seasons (69-31, .690)
• 69 B1G wins from 2019-20 through 2023-24 are most in school history over five-year stretch
• Four straight NCAA Tournament appearances (fifth precluded by COVID-19 cancelation in 2020)
• NCAA Tournament wins in three of the last four years
• One of only five schools nationally with five straight 20-win regular seasons
• Three Big Ten Championships in last four years
• Five straight top-five B1G finishes, including top-two finishes three of the last four years
• 2024 B1G Tournament Champions
• 2022 B1G Champions
• 2021 B1G Tournament Champions
• Led B1G in wins in 2021
• 2021 NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed (fourth in school history)

Brad Underwood has reinvigorated Illinois Basketball, bringing the Fighting Illini back to the national stage and building a championship program during his tenure in Champaign.

Underwood is the 18th head coach in Illinois history, hired in March 2017 as the Richmond Family Endowed Men’s Head Basketball Coach. He has won nearly 69 percent of his games during his 11 years as a Division I head coach, recording nine 20-win seasons. Underwood has made eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, with a ninth precluded by the cancelation of the 2020 postseason due to COVID-19.

Illinois hoisted a conference trophy for the third time in four years in 2024, winning the Big Ten Tournament Championship in Minneapolis. Underwood became the first Illinois coach to win multiple Big Ten Tournaments, claiming two in a span of just four years. That followed a runner-up finish during the regular season where the Illini went 14-6 in conference play.

The Illini were 29-9 overall in Underwood's seventh year at the helm, with the 29 victories ranking as the third-winningest season in the 118-year history of the program. Illinois earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and won three games to advance to the East Regional Final, marking the program's first Elite Eight appearance since 2005. Upon making his first trip to the NCAA second weekend, Underwood led the Orange and Blue to a victory over No. 2 seed Iowa State in the Sweet 16 as Illinois recorded just its second NCAA Tournament win ever over a top-two seed.

Illinois ended the year at No. 6 in the Associated Press poll, marking its second top-10 final ranking in four years and fourth top-25 finish over the last five years. The 2023-24 offense was Illinois’ most efficient in the kenpom era, placing third nationally at 1.255 points per possession. The Illini averaged 83.4 points per game, its highest scoring average in the last 30 years. Illinois had two first-team All-Big Ten selections for the second time in the Underwood era in seniors Terrence Shannon Jr. and Marcus Domask. Shannon was the nation’s third-leading scoring at 23.0 ppg – the highest average by an Illini player in 51 years – while Domask averaged 15.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists.

The Big Ten has been the nation’s preeminent conference in recent years. It was ranked No. 1 by kenpom in 2020 and 2021, received a league-record nine NCAA Tournament bids in 2021 and 2022, led all conferences once again with eight tournament bids in 2023, and sent six teams to the NCAAs in 2024. Yet no team has fared better during this stretch than the Fighting Illini, who are 69-31 (.690) in Big Ten play the last five years of the Underwood era. Illinois owns the most wins in league play over the last five seasons (69), as well as the most regular season and conference tournament wins combined (75).

The 69 victories in conference play marks the winningest five-year run in school history, with Underwood claiming Illinois’ two all-time winningest Big Ten seasons (16 in 2021, 15 in 2022), three of the top five (14 in 2024), and four of the top eight (13 in 2020) during this stretch.

Illinois has now recorded at least 20 wins and a winning record in B1G play in five straight seasons for the first time since doing so eight years in a row from 1999-2000 through 2006-07. The Illini are also part of an elite group nationally, standing as one of just five schools to post 20-win regular seasons in each of the last five years.

Illinois had another successful season in Underwood’s sixth year in Champaign. Despite replacing all five regular starters, its top five leading scorers, and a total of 10 players from the previous year’s Big Ten championship squad, Illinois went 20-13 overall and finished fifth in the Big Ten (11-9) in 2023, securing a third straight NCAA Tournament bid and fourth straight 20-win season.

Illinois ranked in the bottom 25 nationally in minutes continuity from last year. Of those last 25 teams, Illinois was the only one to earn a bid in the 2023 NCAA tournament. The Illini were one of just two teams with multiple kenpom top-10 non-conference wins away from home, posting dramatic comeback wins over UCLA in Las Vegas and Texas at Madison Square Garden. Illinois also protected its homecourt, going 15-2 at State Farm Center and ending the season on a six-game home winning streak. It marked the Illini’s best home winning percentage in the last 17 years.

Underwood led Illinois to the 2022 Big Ten championship in year five, navigating a challenging schedule with a frequently depleted roster to post a 15-5 league record and earn the school’s first regular season conference title in 17 years. Illinois went 23-10 overall as Underwood recorded his third-straight 20-plus win season. Illinois ended the year at No. 19 in the AP poll to register a third-straight Top 25 finish, the program’s longest streak since 2000-06.

Illinois was a No. 4 seed in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, becoming one of just six programs to receive top-4 seeds over the two-year stretch after earning a No. 1 seed in 2021. Illinois was one of just 12 schools to advance to the Round of 32 in both the 2021 and 2022 NCAA Tournaments, which marked Illinois’ first time advancing in consecutive NCAA Tournaments in 16 years.

Underwood coached junior Kofi Cockburn, the most dominant player in college basketball, to consensus first-team All-America honors in 2022. Cockburn was the only player in the country to average 20+ points and 10+ rebounds, becoming the first Illini in 50 years to do so. Cockburn joined Ayo Dosunmu as the only AP first-team All-Americans in school history, players mentored by Underwood in back-to-back seasons.

Underwood’s fourth Illini team in 2021 put together one of the best seasons in school history, ending the year ranked No. 2 in the final AP poll, winning the Big Ten Tournament championship, and earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Illinois went 16-4 in conference play to mark its winningest Big Ten season ever. Illinois led the Big Ten in victories while playing the full conference schedule, but missed out on the regular season title due to an unequal number of games played creating a win percentage differential of .024. The Illini went on to win the Big Ten Tournament, earning the program’s first conference tournament title since 2005.

In all, Illinois totaled 19 wins against conference foes in 2021, setting a school record and tying the second-most wins ever by a Big Ten school against league competition in a single season.

Illinois earned the fourth NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed in school history after winning 14 of 15 games over a two-month stretch leading into NCAA March Madness. The remarkable run included seven wins over ranked teams, with five coming against top-10 foes.

Illinois defeated No. 2 Michigan, 76-53, in Ann Arbor on March 2, recording its highest ranked road win in program history. The 23-point margin was the largest victory in the NCAA on the road over a top-2 team since 1995. Four days later, the Illini won at No. 7 Ohio State to notch its first back-to-back wins over top-10 teams since 2005.

Not finished with that accomplishment, Illinois again defeated back-to-back top-10 opponents the following week at the Big Ten Tournament, beating No. 5 Iowa in the semifinal and No. 9 Ohio State in the championship to win the title.

Illinois finished the season with a total of six victories over top-10 teams, breaking the previous school record of five set by the 1989 Flyin’ Illini. Illinois led the country with 12 Quad 1 wins and a combined 17 wins in Quads 1 and 2. The Illini also won nine road games, leading all high-major conference teams.

Illinois made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in eight years, advancing to the Round of 32 to finish with a record of 24-7. Illinois ended the season at No. 4 in kenpom’s team adjusted efficiency margin, the second-highest rating ever for the program. The Illini excelled on both sides of the ball, finishing the year as one of only three teams ranked in the top 10 nationally in both offensive (8th) and defensive (7th) efficiency.

Illinois had a pair of consensus All-Americans leading the way in 2021. Junior Ayo Dosunmu was a first-team All-America selection by every organization and finalist for every player of the year award. The USA Today National Player of the Year and Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year, Dosunmu became the first NCAA player since 2010 to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. Sophomore Kofi Cockburn was a second-team All-America pick by every outlet, totaling 16 double-doubles and standing as the only player in the country to average at least 15 points and nine rebounds on 60+ percent shooting.

Underwood directed Illinois to the largest turnaround among schools from the six major conferences in 2020 (+10.0), which was seventh across all of Div. I for most improved teams. Illinois was ranked for eight weeks, checking in at No. 21 in the final Associated Poll to finish a season ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since 2006.

The Illini recorded 21 victories during the regular season and won 13 Big Ten games – its most league wins since 2005 – to finish just one game back of the conference title. The Illini’s .650 winning percentage in league play was its best since 2006 and the program earned a bye to the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal round for the first time since 2011.

Underwood installed a new defense prior to year three and retooled the offense during the season, schematic changes that led to Illinois ranking in the top 40 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency (kenpom) for the first time in nine years. Those changes complemented the trademark of Underwood-led teams that excel in transition and on the glass. The Illini averaged more than 20 points per game in possessions under seven seconds and ranked 11th in the nation in both offensive rebound rate (35.6) and rebound margin (+7.5).

Illinois notched six Quad 1 wins on the season and was one of only two teams in the country to earn four road wins over teams in the top 35 of the NET. The Illini’s five Big Ten road victories were its most in 10 years, highlighted by its first win at Purdue since the 2009 season and its first wins at Wisconsin and at Michigan since 2010. 

The UI’s top two performers were once again underclassmen. Sophomore Ayo Dosunmu led the team in scoring (16.6 ppg) and assists (3.3 apg), becoming the first Illini player in 10 years to earn first-team All-Big Ten accolades. Kofi Cockburn was the team’s second-leading scorer (13.3 ppg) and leading rebounder (8.8 rpg) en route to being named 2020 Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Illinois was one of the most inexperienced teams in the country in 2019, with Underwood meshing seven newcomers into his 11-player rotation during his second season. Despite that youth, and facing the No. 3-ranked regular season schedule by kenpom, the Illini doubled their win total against conference foes, winning eight games against Big Ten competitors.

The Illini recorded nine wins against teams rated in the top-80 (kenpom), with four victories coming against eventual NCAA Tournament teams. The improvement was highlighted by marquee wins over two top-15 ranked opponents. Illinois defeated No. 13 Maryland at Madison Square Garden and knocked off No. 9-ranked and eventual Big Ten champion and Final Four participant Michigan State at home, leading to a court rush celebration by Orange Krush students at the buzzer.

Illinois had 58 percent of its scoring come from newcomers, which was the most of any team in the Big Ten. For the first time in school history, a true-freshman led Illinois in scoring on the season as Ayo Dosunmu averaged 13.8 points. And in conference play, Illinois had true-freshmen as its top two leading scorers for the first time ever in Dosunmu (14.8 ppg) and Giorgi Bezhanishvili (13.5 ppg).

Year one saw Underwood lay the foundation for the Illini program. Playing at the second-fastest tempo in the Big Ten, Illinois topped 80 points in 12 games and averaged 75.8 points on the season. That marked the UI’s highest scoring average in 13 years, since the 2005 national runner-up season. The offense was aggressive in all phases, recording the team’s best offensive rebounding rate (.340) and highest free throw rate (.331) since 2008 and making the most free throws (478) since 2002.

Defensively, Illinois ranked fourth nationally in turnover rate, forcing turnovers on 23.2 percent of opponent possessions. The UI defense created its most turnovers (17.5 avg.) since 2000 while collecting its most steals (6.3 spg) since 1999.

Fans have come out to State Farm Center in big numbers to watch Underwood’s teams since his hiring. Illinois’ improvement in average home attendance from 2017 to 2018 ranked 13th nationally. The average increase of 1,231 fans, meanwhile, marked the largest jump for the program in nearly 40 years (1979). Illinois’ attendance average increased by an additional 321 fans in 2019, and by 106 more fans in 2020 with Illinois playing in front of sellout crowds in five of its final six home games during his third season.

Following a season without fans under COVID-19 restrictions, Illini Nation poured back into State Farm Center in 2022. Student season tickets sold out in less than three hours, and the Illini played in front of eight sellout crowds on the season, On the heels of the 2022 Big Ten title, State Farm Center was rocking again during the 2022-23 season. The allotment of 3,000 student tickets sold out in just 36 minutes this time around. Illinois played in front of 12 sellout crowds – the most since 2008 – including all 10 conference home games. Illinois’ home attendance average of 15,091 was its highest in the last nine years, topping 15,000 for the first time since the renovation of State Farm Center.

Illinois set a revenue record for the third consecutive year in 2023-24, exceeding $7.1 million in ticket sales. The Illini played in front of 11 sellout crowds, and the home attendance average of 14,990 ranked 12th nationally.

Underwood and his staff have also made waves on the recruiting trail during their time in Champaign. In year one on the job the Illini inked Ayo Dosunmu, the program’s highest-rated guard recruit since 2002. Year two was highlighted by the signing of Kofi Cockburn, the program’s highest-rated center recruit since 2010. In year three the UI landed a top 15-ranked class, and has followed with top-25 classes in each of the last four recruiting cycles.

Underwood came to Illinois from Oklahoma State, where he led OSU to a 20-win season and 2017 NCAA Tournament appearance. The Cowboys had one of the most exciting and prolific offenses in the country, ranking eighth in the NCAA in scoring (85.7 ppg) and leading the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency. The Cowboys ranked eighth nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (.402) and fourth in the country in offensive rebounding percentage (.383).

Oklahoma State finished fifth in the Big 12 with a 9-9 conference record in a season where the Big 12 was rated as the top conference in the nation. That was a dramatic improvement for the Cowboys, who went 3-15 in league play the year prior. Oklahoma State came on strong during the second half of the season, winning 10 of 11 games from Jan. 21-Feb. 25, 2017, which included a pair of five-game winning streaks.

Following that successful turnaround at OSU, he accepted the Illinois job owning a total of 109 wins, third-most ever by a NCAA Div. I head coach through four seasons.

Underwood arrived in Stillwater following a dominant run at Stephen F. Austin where he led the Lumberjacks to Southland Conference regular season and tournament titles in each of his three seasons. Underwood compiled an 89-14 record at SFA, tied with Brad Stevens (Butler, 2008-10) for the most wins ever by a head coach in his first three seasons at an NCAA school.

He led SFA to a 28-6 overall record and NCAA Round of 32 appearance in 2016. The Lumberjacks rolled past No. 3 West Virginia in the first round, 70-56, before narrowly missing a trip to the Sweet 16 with a 76-75 defeat to No. 6 Notre Dame in the second round.

That Stephen F. Austin squad was efficient on both sides of the ball, ranking 57th nationally on offense and 38th on defense. The Lumberjacks averaged 80.2 points accompanied by high-pressure defense that forced the highest turnover rate in the country (.259).

Underwood’s second SFA team went 29-5 in 2015, also advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The Lumberjacks ranked seventh in the nation in field goal percentage (.487) and led the NCAA in assists (18.7 apg).

His debut season in Nacogdoches in 2014 included a 29-game winning streak and culminated in a 32-3 record and NCAA Round of 32 appearance after a victory over No. 5 seed VCU in the opening round. Underwood earned the Joe B. Hall award, given to the nation’s top first-year coach.

Prior to taking over at Stephen F. Austin, Underwood spent the 2013 season as associate head coach at South Carolina under former head coach Frank Martin. He went to Columbia with Martin after serving on his bench for five seasons as an assistant at Kansas State, with his final season elevated to associate head coach. Underwood’s first year at K-State was in the role of director of operations for then-head coach Bob Huggins.

Underwood had two head coaching stints in the junior college ranks, compiling a 70-24 record in three seasons at Daytona Beach (2004-06) and a 57-63 mark in four years at Dodge City (1990-93). In between those opportunities, Underwood was entrenched in the state of Illinois for 10 seasons, as an assistant coach for Jim Kerwin at Western Illinois from 1994-2003.

Underwood is a December 1986 graduate of Kansas State. He played in Manhattan for the legendary Jack Hartman, K-State’s all-time winningest coach. Former Illinois head coach Lon Kruger also played and coached for Hartman at Kansas State.

Underwood began his college career at Hardin-Simmons, where he later worked as a graduate assistant. Hardin-Simmons was the first college job for Lou Henson, the Fighting Illini’s all-time winningest coach whose name permanently adorns the court at State Farm Center.

Brad and his wife, Susan, have a son, Tyler, and two daughters, Katie and Ashley. Tyler, who played four seasons for the Illini while earning three degrees, is an assistant coach on the Illinois staff. Katie also is a U of I graduate, and Ashley attends Miami-Ohio.

Underwood Division I Head Coaching Year-By-Year Record

* Illinois led the Big Ten in wins while playing the full conference schedule in 2021, but because of an uneven number of games played, finished as runner-up by a winning percentage differential of .024