Brad Underwood doesn’t sound interested in sugarcoating what Illinois carried out of last season. The Illini reached the brink of something big, then ran into UConn and walked away with the kind of ending that sticks.
For Underwood, though, that finish has already turned into something useful. The players who came back now have a firsthand memory of both the climb and the collapse, and he believes that matters as the group heads into a new season.
“It’s pretty good that they understood what that felt like at the end of the year in both getting there and then how crappy that loss felt,” Underwood told reporters.
That’s the word he keeps circling back to: hungry. Not content.
Not satisfied. Hungry.
“There’s another feeling to have, and I think they’re pretty hungry for that,” Underwood said.
That hunger, in his view, shows up in the summer work. It’s in the extra reps, the defensive energy, and the way the team approaches the day-to-day grind. Underwood is banking on that edge carrying over once the schedule gets heavier and the pressure starts to build.
The point isn’t to dwell on what happened last season. It’s to make sure the disappointment doesn’t fade too quickly. Illinois is trying to turn that painful ending into something sharper, something that keeps the returning players locked in when the moments get biggest again.
Underwood wants that desire paired with the steadiness of a veteran group. If the Illini can keep channeling that bad feeling into consistent effort, he believes this team could become a dangerous one. But for now, it’s about what they learned, what they remember, and how badly they want a different finish.
In Other News...
Illinois Fans Still Feel The Sting Of These Recruiting Letdowns
Illinois has had its share of recruiting wins over the years, but the programs history also includes a handful of highly touted names who never quite delivered on the promise that followed them to Champaign. Marquez Beason arrived as a four-star talent, Gabe Megginson came in with plenty of buzz on the offensive line, and Aaron Bailey was supposed to give the offense a future at quarterback. Instead, each became part of the long list of what-ifs that still linger when fans look back on earlier eras.
Martez Wilson stands out in a different way, because his Illinois career was productive enough to matter without ever fully matching the lofty expectations attached to a five-star label. He developed into a solid Big Ten player and moved on to the NFL, but even that success only underscores how hard it is for a program to turn elite recruiting rankings into the kind of consistent star power that changes everything. For Illinois, these names remain a reminder that signing day hype is only the first step. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Underwood's Recruiting Shift Changes A Big Illinois Question
Brad Underwood has spent enough time in the transfer era to know how quickly a roster can change, and Illinois is adjusting accordingly. After leaning heavily into the portal in recent years, the Illini have shifted back toward high school recruiting, a move driven by the reality that keeping players in the program has been a challenge and that some of the top talent that came through Champaign either moved on early or ended up elsewhere.
The change is already showing up in the class count. Illinois signed six prep prospects in the Class of 2026, its biggest high school haul since 2018, and the staff has not stopped there. The Illini already hold commitments from in-state four-stars Quinton Kitt and Mason Martin for 2027, and they are still chasing more help as Underwood tries to build a deeper pipeline the old-fashioned way. [Read more 🡒]
Former Illinois Wing Will Riley Just Turned Heads In Summer League
Will Riley is already giving Washington a reason to pay attention this summer. The former Illinois wing, who entered the 2025 NBA draft after arriving in Champaign as the top recruit in the 2024 class, put together a standout showing in Summer League against Sacramento, finishing with 32 points and six rebounds while looking every bit like a player trying to force his way into a bigger conversation.
For a Wizards team that has spent recent years searching for a clearer direction, performances like that matter even in July. Washington is banking on young talent to reshape its future, with Riley viewed as part of that next wave alongside No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa, and nights like this only add to the intrigue around how quickly that rebuilding plan can start to look real. [Read more 🡒]