
History & Precedence Sides With Underwood’s Illini on Elite Offense vs. Elite Defense
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood cited historical precedent that having an nationally elite offensive team usually translates to NCAA Tournament success.
Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer
March 27, 2024
BOSTON — When Illinois head coach Brad Underwood was reminded by a media member that defensive efficiency is usually more valuable than offensive excellence, the Illini seventh-year leader responded with a question of his own.
“Did you tell that to Miami last year?” Underwood said quickly.
Underwood’s question leads into the example of the 2022-23 Miami (Fla.) squad that made a run to the Final Four despite being No. 99 (and one of the lowest ranked in the NCAA field) in defensive efficiency mostly due to the fact that the offense of Jim Larranaga’s Hurricanes program scored 63, 85, 88 and 89 points in its route to making the program’s first ever Final Four run.