Illinois’ path to a one seed next March may start on the defensive end, and Brad Underwood believes this group has a real chance to be better there than the one that came before it.
That matters because last season’s defense was all over the map. Illinois could look locked in and disruptive one night, then look far too easy to score on the next.
Too often, opponents were able to get clean threes, comfortable midrange shots and easy finishes at the rim. That inconsistency helped create the kind of high-scoring games the Illini couldn’t always survive.
In every non-UConn loss in 2025-26, opponents hit 83 points or more.
Underwood thinks the ingredients are different now.
“I think we’re more athletic,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said last Friday. “We’re bigger.
I think we’re longer. I think that our concepts are a little bit different.
I think we’re trying to be a little more aggressive. Again, we want to do that without giving up layups.
The Illini already did one thing extremely well a year ago: they kept teams off the free-throw line. Illinois finished first in free-throw rate allowed, a deliberate choice on the coaching staff’s part.
The problem was on the other end of the possession. The Illini were last in forced turnover percentage, which meant opponents were able to settle in and run their offense far too comfortably.
That’s the next step Underwood wants this roster to take. Keep the same discipline, but add more disruption.
Turnovers can do more than just create transition chances; they can make an offense tighten up, rush, or overcorrect. Illinois has the personnel to make that happen more often.
“Last year’s Illini were, at their best, a stout defensive group - they just didn’t hit those heights often enough.
“But I think that you add Quentin [Coleman], you add Lincoln [Williams], you add Ethan [Brown] - those guys [and] you’ve got a bigger, stronger, more confident Andrej [Stojakovic],” Underwood said. “I think that our perimeter defense could be a strength for us.
“Our ability to protect the rim is and should be very good. And so I’m excited about what this group can become defensively.
There is no doubt about what our run was about late in the year. We got really good defensively.
“And taking away teams’ abilities to score at the rim and not get layups. [It] was something we did a very, very good job of.
We’ve got to continue to do that as we move forward. So we’ve had a very good summer.
I’ve been very pleased.
“And I like the makeup of this team. I like our athleticism, and our tenacity has been, our bite has been really, really good.
Quentin brings a lot of that. Lincoln brings a lot of that.
We’ve got some natural, very competitive ... Lucas [Morillo], all of those guys bring a little of that.”
The rim protection piece is the easy one to see. Zvonimir Ivisic could be the best shot blocker in the country, Tomislav Ivisic gives Illinois another strong presence in the paint, and Jason Jakstys would fit that same mold if he ends up in the rotation.
The more fascinating question is what happens on the perimeter. Illinois never really had a true tone-setter out there in 2025-26, and the season before that didn’t solve the problem either.
Terrence Shannon Jr. brought a defensive edge that went beyond stats. He played with that “dog” mentality, and that kind of attitude spreads. Kylan Boswell flashed it during his time in Champaign, but not with enough consistency.
Illinois may have found that trait in Coleman, with Williams and Brown also in the mix, and maybe Morillo too, as Underwood suggested. One defender who embraces contact, talks a little, and refuses to get beat off the dribble can change the feel of a defense. Add multiple players with that same edge, and the whole unit starts to play louder, faster and meaner.
That’s the upside Underwood is chasing: a defense that can pair with what’s expected to be the nation’s No. 1 offense and turn Illinois into a nightmare for everyone else in college basketball.
In Other News...
Illinois Suddenly Has A Chance At A Historic 2028 Class
Rivals latest update to its 2028 basketball rankings gave Illinois recruiting momentum a noticeable boost, with three Fighting Illini targets landing among the top 10 nationally. Brady Pettigrew, Dylan Betts and Benjamin Berrouet all checked in near the top of the class, and each has already taken or is scheduled to take an official visit to Champaign, giving Illinois an early foothold in what could become a defining cycle.
The most intriguing part for Illinois is how well positioned it appears with all three. The program is currently favored to sign Pettigrew and Berrouet, while Betts is also very much in the mix, leaving the Illini with a real chance to build around an elite trio before the class even fully takes shape. For a school that has been trying to sustain national relevance on the recruiting trail, this is the kind of early alignment that can change the ceiling of an entire class. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Underwood Just Gave Illinois Fans More Reason To Believe In Quentin Coleman
Illinois fans already had plenty of reason to circle Quentin Coleman as the headliner of the 2026 class, but Brad Underwood offered another reminder at media day that the buzz is not just about recruiting rank. The Illinois coach pointed to Colemans competitiveness, his shooting and rebounding, and the way his game has started to mature in areas that often separate a promising prospect from a true impact player.
For Illinois, the encouraging part is that Coleman is not being framed as a long-term project. Underwoods praise suggested a freshman season with real expectations attached, even if some parts of his game will still need to be tested in live action. The next step will be seeing how all of that translates once the speed, physicality and decision-making demands of college basketball start coming at him for real. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Just Got A Big Ten Label Fans Will Want To Debate
The Big Tens preseason buzz around Illinois kept building this week when the league unveiled its 11-man All-Big Ten preseason team, and David Mirkovic and Andrej Stojakovic both made the cut. It was another sign that the Illini are very much part of the conversation entering the season, with their roster drawing attention from around the conference before a game has even been played.
The Columbus Dispatch took the discussion a step further with its unofficial preseason poll, placing Illinois No. 1 ahead of Michigan State and Michigan. The paper also handed out its own preseason awards framework, where Quentin Coleman drew votes for Freshman of the Year and Stefan Vaaks received votes for Transfer of the Year, giving Illinois fans plenty to debate about just how high this group can climb. [Read more 🡒]