The Final Four silences the Brad Underwood doubters

Illinois clinched its spot in Indianapolis on Saturday night, defeating Iowa 71-59 in Houston. This marks the program’s first Final Four appearance since 2005 and the first of Brad Underwood’s career. Is it FINALLY time to put the “Fire Brad” statements to rest?

Despite consistent success, some fans still wanted more NCAA Tournament success from Underwood to validate his ability as a coach. There were questions surrounding his X’s and O’s and his willingness to adjust during games. It is officially time to put those doubts about Underwood to rest.

Underwood arrived at Illinois with just four years of Division I head coaching experience, and he has grown tremendously since those early seasons. No coach is perfect, and it’s completely fair for them to learn and evolve through years of NCAA Tournament experience. He took over an Illinois program that had missed the NCAA Tournament for four consecutive years and was at rock bottom.

After two rebuilding seasons, Underwood quickly returned the Illini to relevance and has since made the Big Dance every year (including the COVID year, which I am counting as a postseason berth). During that span, Illinois has accumulated the most wins in the Big Ten and secured two conference championship banners in 2022 and 2024. Consistent regular-season success is a strong indicator of a program’s overall health, and it was only a matter of time before Underwood broke through in March.