Brad Underwood Shares His Take on the Chaotic Landscape of College Basketball

Underwood offered his thoughts on the "challenge" of operating in today's era – but also shared why he's "excited"

Jan 17, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood before the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Every college basketball follower – ranging from the most avid, hoops-crazed fan to the viewer who only tunes in come March – has an opinion on the state of the sport. With the recent five-in-five rule, which was followed by an endless stream of injunctions and appeals, college basketball is in a state of turmoil.

Fans, despite their constant objections to the current landscape, aren’t forced to face any of the pitfalls. Coaches, meanwhile, have been forced to attempt to toe a blurry or seemingly ever-moving line – or, alternatively, fall behind the rest of the competition.

So how does Illinois’ Brad Underwood feel about the situation? On the surface, he appears to be taking it in stride, but Underwood certainly isn’t pleased with certain aspects of the game.

How does Brad Underwood feel about the state of college basketball?

Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts after a play against the UConn Huskies during the first half of a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“A lot of indecisiveness,” Underwood told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein on Thursday. “It’s a challenge. I think the one thing that I’m most frustrated with is the timing of things. Whether it’s the five-and-five [rule]. Some people had their rosters filled, some people had all their money spent. And now you just create a pool of players that are available and not everybody can recruit those – you got your rosters filled.”

“So I think there’s some things that are very unfair. I do think we need rules. We need guidelines. I think anything that succeeds in this world has had those. I don’t know if we need 5,000 of them, like we had in the old manual – but we’ve got to have some. We’ve got to have a governing body that will allow us to do some things and have some rules and restrictions.”

On the flip side, there seems to be a consensus shared by experts, fans and coaches alike: the on-court product couldn’t be any better. And that’s a sentiment Underwood wholeheartedly agrees with. 

“The state of the game has never been better,” Underwood said. The players on our court – what the fans are seeing – has never been better. The influx of European players, the game has kept guys in school because of NIL. … The game has never been better. The coaching has never been better.

“Just the day-to-day stuff, we’ve got to get cleaned up and have some rules and guidelines. But I’m excited. I think you look at viewership of the NCAA Tournaments [over the] last couple of years, it’s up. It’s through the roof. I’m excited. The players that are in the game are the best in the world, and we get our little piece of time with them, and I think that’s important.”

No argument here. The talent across college basketball has reached unprecedented levels – thanks to now-ubiquitous early skills training and then, after high school, to NIL. But, objectively, the current flux isn’t sustainable.

What’s the fix? Well, there certainly isn’t a straightforward one. And for now, all that Illinois or any other program can do is be flexible and adapt (just as the rules seemingly are). Fortunately for Underwood and the Illini, adaptability has long been one of their calling cards.