Brad Underwood Says Illinois Has No Late-Game Problem

Illinois’ 2025-26 regular season was undeniably impressive (24-7 overall and 15-5 in the Big Ten), but it would be difficult to refute the argument that the Illini underachieved.

The potential of Brad Underwood’s club has been realized only on occasions – and rarely for 40 straight minutes. Tight losses have characterized Illinois’ Big Ten slate, as four of its five missteps came by one possession.

Although some of that can be chalked up to misfortune, it’s also a direct result of less-than-desirable decision-making and a lack of execution down the stretch from Underwood and his club.

We won’t rehash everything for Illini fans, who certainly don’t need to be reminded, but let's take a very quick trip down memory lane: Michigan State controlled the entire overtime period, Illinois fumbled a second-half lead before crumbling in overtime against Wisconsin. Then, the anti-masterpiece: The Illini let UCLA’s Donovan Dent go coast-to-coast as time expired to give the Bruins a 23-point comeback victory.

At times, there have been errors on the part of the players (Illinois gave up an offensive rebound that allowed Michigan State to survive in regulation). On other occasions, miscues from the coaching staff have been to blame (the Dent fiasco, to name just one). Regardless, there is no getting around it: The Illini haven't been a good close-game team.

Illinois' Brad Underwood shuts down notion of late-game struggles

“I think that’s a bunch of crap,” Underwood said of the idea that Illinois has struggled to close out close games. “You can think what you want to think. We’ve pulled away in a lot of those, too. So, next question. Didn’t like that one very much.”

Illinois HC Brad Underwood did not appreciate a reporter’s question about closing out games following the team’s win at Maryland to end the regular season. pic.twitter.com/ShQeLdS57p
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 8, 2026

OK, so maybe there is a way to get around it. (Just ignore the question!) Clearly, the Illini head man does not agree with the notion – which all available evidence clearly supports – that his club hasn’t been very successful in nail-biters.

In Underwood's defense, Illinois has put its foot on the gas in a few tight ball games, most memorably in the win over Purdue at Mackey Arena (which was a two-point game with less than a minute remaining but the Illini won by six). The other one: Sunday afternoon in the regular-season finale at Maryland.

But although Underwood may argue that all of the 20 Big Ten games are tough, gritty battles, there’s no good excuse for duking it out wire-to-wire against a Maryland club that entered the game outside of the top 140 in offensive and defensive efficiency.

So by no means do the Illini deserve special recognition for pulling away from the Terrapins. The reality is, this team – which has yet to win a one-possession game this season – has been abysmal in tight contests. That said, the experiences should theoretically have served Illinois well as learning opportunities.

Still, Underwood’s inability to admit that his squad, more often than not, has dropped the ball or missed opportunities down the stretch of close games implies he and his coaching staff haven’t even been willing to look in the mirror to pinpoint and address their flaws. That would mean they aren't searching for a fix – and thus makes it unlikely that they will stumble into one during postseason play.