Brad Underwood Names Star-Studded Coaches He Consulted Ahead of Final Four

Underwood has never been this deep in the Big Dance before, but he knows a few guys who have – and has since bended their ears

Mar 19, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood instructs his team against the Penn Quakers in the first half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The 2025-26 college basketball season is Brad Underwood’s 13th as a head coach. After three years at mid-major Stephen F. Austin (NCAA Tournament appearance in all three), Underwood made the leap to high-major hoops at Oklahoma State, where he spent one quick season before landing his “dream job” at Illinois in 2017 – a post he has held ever since.

And although Underwood had indisputably put together a successful head-coaching career in the run-up to this 2026 NCAA Tournament, there was still a monkey on his back. Despite nine tournament appearances (2025-26 was No. 10) and even earning a No. 1 seed back in 2021 – not to mention putting together an Elite Eight run in 2024 – Underwood had never made a Final Four.

Now he has.

“It’s better than I dreamt it would ever be," Underwood said immediately after the Illini punched their ticket with an Elite Eight win over Iowa. "Thirty-nine years in the business. That’s all I’m going to say about my side of this.”

But that was Saturday night. Since then, Underwood has had to turn the page, dispense with smelling the roses and begin preparing for the task at hand: a Final Four tangle with UConn. So how exactly does Underwood, who despite his tremendous years of experience in the coaching ranks, prepare for an event he has never participated in? Simple: Ask someone who has – or, in this case, someones.

The proven March Madness minds Brad Underwood consulted ahead of the Final Four

Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood speaks in a press conference after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

“[Matt] Painter, [Dana] Altman, [Tom] Izzo, [Bill] Self,” said Underwood of the fellow coaches he has talked to in an attempt to help prepare for his first Final Four. “‘Enjoy it.’ Said: ‘It’s crazy. Enjoy it.’ They’ve all had different things that have been very positive. And I’ve asked a lot of questions on practices, to dealing with all the different issues and things that go on, how they did it. And they’ve all been phenomenal in what their experiences have been. So you take a little bit and try to figure out if it works for our team or not.”

Purdue’s Painter and Oregon’s Altman have been to one Final Four apiece. Kansas’ Self has been to four – and went on to win two national championships. Michigan State’s Izzo has been to eight(!) Final Fours and has won a national title. That’s a total of 14 Final Four appearances and three national championships.

Few coaches – especially Izzo and Self – can offer more wisdom on what it takes to win at the highest stage of college hoops than that crew. Whether Underwood can take all of that insight and flip it into success remains to be seen. And given that he'll be locking horns with a head coach in UConn’s Dan Hurley who has won two of the past three national championships, it’s safe to say Underwood may benefit from every word of advice he can receive.