Be careful what you wish for, Illini fans!

By Greg Taylor

[February 13, 2024] 

Tuesday evening at the State Farm Center, #14 Illinois hosted a struggling Michigan team as the home stretch of the regular season kicks into high gear. With just three and a half weeks left, Illinois has much work to do. Alone in second place, the Illini can lock-in a double bye, lock down on the defensive end, and get ready for a fourth consecutive year of play in the NCAA tournament. Don’t forget, Illinois experienced 7 straight years away from the NCAA’s (although they were a lock for the tourney in March 2020 prior to a Covid-canceling end of the season). To say head coach Brad Underwood has transformed the Illinois basketball program during his time in Champaign-Urbana is an understatement. What a difference a decade can make!

Why do I share this? Because there seems to be a pretty good amount of frustration and disappointment in Illini Nation. I read regularly of fans that complain about the poor job of coaching Underwood does game in and game out and wonder aloud if a change would be positive. I hear frustrations after almost every loss, although that is really nothing new with the orange and blue contingency. I agree, Saturday’s loss at Michigan State wasn’t pretty. Anytime you cough up an eight-point lead with less than eight minutes left and lose by eight, the faithful become flummoxed. Maybe it’s this way with every program? I wonder what the Rock-Chalkers were saying Tuesday morning after the 29-point drubbing Kansas experienced on the road at Texas Tech?

Sadly, I have seen this all of my life cheering for the Illini. I remember back to my days as a student at Lincoln Christian College, in February of 1989, when our locker room at the Preacher Dome was on fire with disappointment as news arrived that Illinois lost at Wisconsin that Saturday by 20 points. Lou Henson must go was the consensus. Illinois had a ton of talent, but their coach was a zero. All hope was lost! “The season was over” was the refrain on February 18 of that year. Anyone remember how that season unfolded? “Battle to Seattle” was the motto that eventually won the day as Illinois, led by Kenny Battle and Nick Anderson and Kendall Gill made it to the Final Four for the first time in 37 years just five weeks later with an Easter Sunday win against Syracuse in Minneapolis. Lou would become the winningest coach in Illinois history!

I remember during Bill Self’s second year at Illinois, when the Illini went down on the road against Indiana by 31 points in a game where the Hoosiers seemed to make every three-point shot they attempted. There is never anything good about a 31-point loss, especially to Indiana! “All hope is lost,” was the cry from so many. Fans couldn’t believe Self “didn’t do something,” and longed for a return of an X’s and O’s coach like Lon Kruger. That season ended pretty good as I remember. A share of the regular season conference title was clinched five weeks later when Frank Williams stunned the Minnesota Gophers on the road, and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen against Kansas was epic. Illinois almost won that game against the #1 Jayhawks when Brian Cook attempted a late three-point shot that just wouldn’t connect. Bill Self became an Illini legend despite only spending three seasons in Champaign-Urbana.

In 2004, under first-year coach Bruce Weber, I was in the house as Illinois lost at Northwestern by 10 in January (their first loss to the Wildcats in 5 seasons). The fans were furious and ready to send Weber back to Carbondale that night! What would transpire over the next two years was the best two-year run in the history of Illinois basketball, with two outright conference titles, a conference tournament title, a trip to the Sweet Sixteen in 2004 and a reason to remember in 2005, as Illinois went 37-2 and made it all the way to NCAA title game. Weber went from a guy that was out of his league to national coach of the year!

So, what’s the point of all of this? Why the history lesson for Illini Nation? This article comes with a request. I humbly extend a plea for the passionate fans of the orange and the blue.

Can we just stop with the Brad Underwood must go tweets and calls? Please. Immediately of possible. It’s just silly and it’s not going to happen. And it shouldn’t happen. While I personally loved both Bruce Weber and John Groce, Illinois hoops in general is light years ahead of where we were from 2007-2019.

Illinois the winningest team in the Big Ten over the past five seasons including this year. Illinois could very well have their third, first-team All-American (Terrance Shannon) this year in just four seasons (along with Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn). Illinois has gone from a team that couldn’t never seem to get recruiting figured out to a team that consistently gets key players from high school and the portal year in and year out.

Is there work to be done in the postseason? Absolutely. No one knows this more than Underwood. Am I excited about the early exits in the NCAA’s? Not one bit. I’m sure it keeps Underwood up at night. Are there disappointments and frustrations with our team? Of course. Just watch Underwood on the sidelines! Would I like to see better defense this season. Yes sir, and so would Brad Underwood!

But I for one hope Brad Underwood is our coach for many seasons to come. And while this isn’t particularly nice, how would you like to be a Michigan fan these days with Juwan Howard on the sidelines? Or an Indiana fan with Mike Woodson leading the program? Or a Missouri fan, with whoever their current coach is right now? Word on the street is Ohio State’s coach, Chris Holtmann, is in trouble. I think he is a fantastic coach, but wins are few and far between in Ann Arbor and Bloomington and Columbia and Columbus. And the guess here is all four schools will be searching for new hoops coaches sooner than later. And while this is impossible to know, I bet all four schools mentioned above would straight up trade their head coach for Underwood in a flash!

Bottom line? Go Illinois! I hope they keep winning and take the month of March by storm. And I would love to see Illini Nation embrace, once and for all, Brad Underwood as our head coach. In my humble opinion, we are so blessed to have him leading our program!

[By GREG TAYLOR]

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