Brad Underwood just keeps stacking milestones in Champaign-and he's doing it at a pace that puts him in elite company.
With Illinois checking in at No. 14 in the latest AP poll, the program has now been ranked for the 80th week during Underwood’s tenure. That’s a significant number, not just because it reflects consistent national relevance, but because it places Underwood third all-time among Illinois head coaches in weeks spent in the Top 25.
Only Lou Henson (137 weeks over 21 seasons) and Harry Combes (124 weeks over 20 seasons) have more. Underwood, now in his ninth season, has already surpassed Bruce Weber’s 77-week total-and he did it in the same number of years. That’s not just longevity; that’s sustained excellence.
To put it in perspective: Underwood is responsible for 15.3% of Illinois’ total 524 weeks in the AP poll since the rankings began. That’s one out of every six weeks the Illini have been nationally ranked-all coming under his watch. And he’s done it in less than a decade.
Yes, Illinois did slide one spot from last week after a tough Black Friday loss to UConn at Madison Square Garden, but that doesn’t take away from the bigger picture. The Illini are still firmly in the national conversation, and that’s become the norm under Underwood.
This week offers a bit of a breather before things ramp up again. Illinois won’t hit the court until Saturday, when they head to Nashville for a high-profile matchup with Tennessee. It’s the kind of game that can swing momentum in a season-and the kind of stage Underwood’s teams have grown used to.
For now, the ranking is another reminder of what Underwood has built: a program that expects to be in the mix, week in and week out.