Brad Underwood emotional over Illinois' Final Four loss: 'They are my life'

Illinois coach Brad Underwood stole a quote from Houston coach Kelvin Sampson after the Fighting Illini's Final Four loss to UConn. Sampson, one of the greatest coaches to never have won a national championship, knows a thing or two about March Madness heartbreak, which is exactly what Underwood was feeling after Illinois' 71-62 loss on Saturday, April 4, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. REQUIRED READING: Braylon Mullins keeps hitting big shots for UConn in Final Four win "I feel sad," Underwood told reporters after the game.

"I'm sad. If you want to know the truth, I'm sad. But I'll reflect on some of the other stuff later.

Seasons coming to an end sting. I'm going to steal a quote from Kelvin Sampson: 'I may not be as big a part of their life, but they are my life. '" Illinois had beaten every team it faced in the 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament by double-digits until facing the Huskies, who have given the Illini fits in recent years.

Illinois' three-lowest scoring outputs of the past three seasons all came against UConn, scoring 52 points in 2024's Elite Eight loss, 61 points in a nonconference game this season and 62 in its Final Four loss on April 4. UConn denied passing lanes all night and made things difficult for Illinois' potent offense, limiting the Illini to only three assists as a team, two of which came from star true freshman Keaton Wagler, who also scored 20 points with eight rebounds. Underwood took the road less traveled to Illinois as the head coach at Dodge City Community College in Kansas and Daytona Beach Community College in Florida before becoming a multi-year assistant at Kansas State and South Carolina.