Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular

April 14, 2026

Illini fans, boosters, players and staff descended upon Indianapolis to see the Illini play in the first Final Four since 2005 and only the third Illini Final Four since 1989.

Brad Underwood has now entered the rare coaching space of leading the Fighting Illini basketball team all the way to a Final Four appearance. In the modern era, only Lou Henson and Bruce Weber have accomplished that feat. Even respected names like Lon Kruger and Bill Self haven’t achieved that at the University of Illinois.

Heat Check #1 – Where No Modern Era Illini Basketball Coach Has Gone Before

Here is the scary part of going to the Final Four for an Illini basketball coach.

Not since 1951-52 has an Illini head coach who’s been to the Final Four managed to return to the Final Four. The last coach to return to that lofty level was Harry Combes, who went to the Final Four in 1948-49, 1950-51 and 1951-52.

Most will note this was hardly the modern era, as up until 1950 there were only 8 teams in the tournament - and then the number increased to 16 in 1951.

Brad Underwood might even point out that he wasn’t even born until 1963, so his accomplishment of taking an Illini team to a Final Four is not one to be discounted or minimized.

Despite the resurgence of Illini basketball in the late 70s, runs to the Final Four require a good coach, a talented team and some tournament luck – of which the Illini haven’t had their fair share of.

And going to the Final Four hasn’t been sustainable for Illini coaches in the past.

Heat Check #2 – The Challenge is Brad Underwood Facing

The task of returning to the Final Four can’t be that hard, right? Kansas, UConn and Duke do it all the time.

That might be true, but it certainly hasn’t been easy for the Illini.

Lou Henson took a power packed Flyin’ Illini team to the Final Four in 1989 where they were upset by eventual champion Michigan. Henson had patiently developed the Chicago recruiting battles into a consistent talent pipeline only to have the chance to elevate the program stolen from him by Bruce Pearl’s infamous recording of phone call with Deon Thomas.

This doctored audio tape, along with the help of Indiana coach Bobby Knight and Notre Dame head coach Digger Phelps actively influencing NCAA personnel to hit the Illini with an “institutional control” probation minimized Henson’s shot at returning to the Final Four. This punishment hit Illinois hard - despite no proof of the allegations (the NCAA’s words, not mine).

Henson stayed on as the Illini head coach and managed to right the ship before his retirement. Instead of elevating to possibly win a National Title and bring home the ultimate prize for himself and his school before retiring, Henson was forced to drag the program out of the hole created by the NCAA and jealous competitors.

After Henson, neither Lon Kruger nor Bill Self stayed long enough to go to the Final Four. Kruger moved on to the NBA and Self went to Kansas to win titles for the Jayhawks. Hiring good coaches is hard and the Illini almost did too good of a job by hiring guys targeted by teams with deeper pockets than Illinois at that time.

Bruce Weber was able to take a roster made up of most of Bill Self’s recruits to the Final Four in 2005 and moved to the championship game, where the Illini fell to North Carolina in a closely fought game that saw James Augustine have 3 fouls before the opening tip. Despite going further than any Illini team had ever reached, the ability to stay at this height was beyond Weber and the Illini. Weber was unable to ramp up recruiting to meet the needs of competing at the Final Four level.

After Dee Brown graduated in 2006, Weber never won more than 24 games, and the Illini had six seasons in a row of double-digit loss totals. The Illini had this happen in the last six years of Henson’s tenure (beginning with the post season ban season of 1990-91) and through the entire four years of Kruger’s tenure. Now the program was trending in the wrong direction – and for the first time, it wasn’t the NCAA causing the challenges. Weber was unable to recruit the talent necessary to remain at the top of the B1G conference or the top of the NCAA and his failure led to John Groce’s hiring.

That’s all I need to say about the Groce Era other than thanks Mike Thomas.

It took Brad Underwood’s arrival and in year three of his tenure, the streak of double-digit loss totals was broken. Underwood has since been in single digits loss seasons for two of the last three years.

Heat Check #3 – Where No Illini Basketball Coach Has Gone Before

Brad Underwood stands on the precipice of making a run at a streak not seen since the 50s and not ever in the modern era.

It will take three key factors to continue Illini success at a Final Four level:

1. A coaching staff that can do the day-to-day development of players, creating a team atmosphere in this “mercenary” age, and management of games as well.
2. NIL funds to power the engine of player acquisition and retention. As the Joker said in the Batman (1989), “You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs.”
3. A coaching staff that can prioritize which players need to be retained and which players who want to play for Illinois truly deserve to play for Illinois. Hard earned NIL funds must be spent wisely on players who want to be at Illinois and can contribute to the team’s success.

Brad Underwood has started off well by targeting players to return from his Final Four team and it looks hopeful for players like Mirkovic, Ivišić (x2), Davis, Rodgers, and maybe even Stojakovic to return to Illinois next season. A second year in the Illini offense has been great just asked Terrence Shannon, Jr.

On the acquisition front, incoming freshmen like Coleman, Morillo, Brown and Davis look like contributors. Continuing the freshman pipeline is critical – especially after having 3 one-and-dones in the last two seasons.

On the Portal Kombat acquisition front, landing Stefan Vaaks is incredibly reassuring. Next up is trying to wrest John Blackwell from the clutches of high dollar spending teams like Duke and Louisville.

For Underwood to lead the Illini basketball team back to the promised land isn’t guaranteed - but he’s demonstrating the roster building necessary to make a run at doing so. He’s making the hard decisions on what players are the most valuable, who should move on, and getting the money that allows him to push for excellence.

Now it’s just a matter of seeing how far this one coach can go.

If he makes it to where no Illini basketball coach has gone before, the Illini will get their elusive National Championship.

Make it so, Brad.

It's time for Underwood World Order.