Can Illinois Coach Brad Underwood Adapt and Overcome in NCAA Tournament?

You don't stick around anywhere as long as Brad Underwood has at Illinois – almost eight years and counting now – without developing a reputation.

Mind you, that reputation is largely a very good one, and Underwood has the resume to back it up: a 143-88 record (.619 winning percentage), six straight 20-win seasons and five straight trips to the NCAA Tournament (only missing out in 2019-20 because of COVID). Illinois is now competing with college basketball's elite for the best prospects, and his teams' success has helped elevate fundraising, facilities and investment in modern resources.

But there is one small, sticky matter regarding Underwood's coaching that many can't seem to get past: his ability and willingness to adjust on the fly.

Over 33 games, there will be ups and downs, wins and losses, bumps and bruises.

But over 33 games, we have kept one target in mind. pic.twitter.com/hsT96ql4nc
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) March 21, 2025

Underwood's critics – including, at times, certain unnamed sportswriters – would seem to have a point. He has inarguably made a habit of sticking with certain concepts, schemes or players too long. He has been at a loss in too many situations that called for in-game adjustments. Patience can be a virtue, but it shouldn't be mistaken for inflexibility or unpreparedness.

We can't know what goes on behind closed doors, but we can watch five young men beating their heads against a wall and know it when we see it. The USC loss back in January was attributed to bad mojo and a lack of energy. Agreed. But the Maryland games? Rutgers? Duke? Circumstances quickly unfolded in those matchups that screamed for immediate changes, but they were met with silence.

Coaches are born to be second-guessed. The average fan spots a problem – and may even be right – but often doesn't realize that every matchup, every lineup and every moment is its own basketball ecosystem whose balance can be upset by a single fickle decision. Just go zone! Stop doubling the post! Bench that kid! They all seem like obvious takes, easily spotted from the cheap seats. Until you understand the alternative – and then have to live with it.

Underwood has made certain adjustments during the season – tweaking Illinois' pick-and-roll drop coverage and downsizing the role of Kasparas Jakucionis high screen-and-roll in the offense, for instance. But those changes have typically come well after the need had been proven, again and again.

And during games? Don't get us started. It can't be said that Illinois is incapable of switching gears in the moment, because we have yet to even witness the attempt. On too many occasions this season, the Illini players have been left to their own devices on the floor – even in cases when they might have had the tools but lacked the real-time guidance to put them to use.

A few caveats: In-game adjustments can be brutally challenging. It takes a bold, beautiful basketball mind to make the call and make it work more than once in a blue moon. That task becomes exponentially more difficult with a young team and a revolving door of players, which tested Underwood all season. But that's the job. If it were easy, we'd all be on a sideline somewhere this weekend in caches and a pullover.

The opportunity has arrived for Underwood. The recent return of Morez Johnson Jr. made Illinois' roster whole again, and youth is no longer an excuse. It's March, and first-year players Jakucionis and Tomislav Ivisic were pros before arriving in Champaign. The Illini had a week to prepare and ready themselves for the possibilities. If Plan A doesn't work against Xavier, a move to Plan B must be swift and decisive. If Plan B is a bust, grab the whiteboard, coach. There's no time like the present to prove the critics wrong.

Can Illinois Coach Brad Underwood Adapt and Overcome in NCAA Tournament?

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