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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WCIA) – A heartfelt atmosphere enveloped the Illinois men’s basketball locker room following their Final Four defeat to UConn on Saturday.
“I can barely speak,” expressed Illini head coach Brad Underwood, reflecting on the heartbreak. “It’s tough to swallow.”
Underwood’s emotions were palpable as he addressed reporters, highlighting the deep bond he shares with his players and the significance they hold in his life.
“Please don’t ever judge me by wins and losses,” he implored. “That’s not my identity as a coach. It’s about relationships—you want it for [the players.]”
Reflecting on his journey, Underwood considered what advice he might give his younger self after spending over two decades as an assistant coach, navigating numerous roles at different levels, before reaching this point.
“It’s worth it,” he said. “The one thing I would tell anybody is time is wonderful, because of all the relationships… It’s worth it. It’s worth it. There’s nothing wrong with time and paying your dues, and working your tail off.”
He continued.
“It’s not over,” he said. “I want to win one, and I’m at a place where we can do that. [It would] be good to look back and tell [my former self] that Dodge City Community College Coach who thought he had all the answers and didn’t have any – that it will all be okay.”
He says this loss hurts worse than the 2024 Elite 8 loss to UConn.
“I hope this team created memories that last a lifetime for a lot of people, no matter what age,” Underwood said. “It did for me.”
As for the future of this program, his message to the players eligible to return is simple.
“Please come back, let’s go do this again,” he said.
Underwood believes this program is more than capable of building off the success of the 2025-26.
“We’ll find a lot of ways to do that,” he said.”