Brad Underwood Reflects on 'Dream Job' and Leading Illinois to Final Four

Brad Underwood once said he hated losing more than he liked winning.

"Not today," he said after guiding Illinois to a 71-59 win over Iowa on Saturday in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament.

"This is the little-kid dream and the Dodge City, Dayton, Western Illinois, Hardin-Simmons, the Stephen F. Austin, the Oklahoma State – this is what you dream about at those places."

With this win, Illinois is headed to its first Final Four since 2005 and its fifth all time. For Underwood, it's a career-long goal he fell just short of in 2024 – but has now finally accomplished.

From starting his career as a graduate assistant at Division III Hardin-Simmons in Abilene, Texas, in 1986, to assistant coaching roles at Kansas State and South Carolina, it's taken Underwood 39 years to reach the Final Four.

But he has always believed he could do it, especially at a place like Illinois.

"I hope the University of Illinois instills that," Underwood said. "I'm gonna preach it, but it's been done before here. And it's very hard to do, but you look at our facilities, you look at our crowds, you've got a chance. It's something I just talk about. The day I feel like we can't compete for a national championship will be my last day as the coach at Illinois.

"This is my dream job. I wouldn't have come here nine years ago now, I guess, if I ever had any doubt that we couldn't have this ability. You feel bad because it's taken so long, but I also know how hard it is and it just makes it worthwhile."

It's not the first time Underwood has preached that message. But following first-weekend exits in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025, it was fair to wonder if Illinois would ever get to this point under his watch.

But Underwood was steadfast that if Illinois could keep putting itself in the mix – like the 2024 Elite Eight, 2022 Big Ten championship or a conference tournament title in 2021 – one day it would break through. No one can disagree with him now, because the Illini have done it.

Underwood made sure to spread around the credit for what has been done to reach the Final Four. In an era with so much roster turnover year over year, it takes full commitment from the coaching staff and administration to make a Final Four come to fruition.

"It's not just me," Underwood said. "It's so many people that have helped along the way, and you believe in something so much that it drives me every single day to want to make it happen. One of the most fulfilling moments, personally, that I just had was standing on the ladder with the net, and then seeing our fans and being able to ... that wasn't about me, that was about our fans. And that was about what's probably going on in Champaign right now, because that's what you believe this to be and know it is.

"I've said it many times: coaches win games – I've got a great, great staff that makes me look good. We've been able to assemble a group of players that I love coaching – administrators win championships. And, you know, it's having that support and people that fight for you and make it possible. We play in the best league in the country, so anything's possible when it comes to winning a national championship. But I've never doubted – I don't want to sound arrogant – I've never doubted us getting to a Final Four would happen. I thought we've had other teams capable, but I also know how doggone hard it is to do it. And for that I just say thank you. I say thank you to everybody involved."