Brad Underwood Reveals How Illinois Finally Broke Through to the Final Four

Underwood offered his take on why this Illini outfit was the one that was able to break new ground during his term in Champaign

Mar 26, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts after the game in a Sweet Sixteen 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

Illinois hasn’t been short on opportunities to reach the Final Four in the Brad Underwood era. Six straight NCAA Tournament appearances have given the Illini a handful of shots at making a deep run in the Big Dance.

Back in 2021, Illinois earned a No. 1 seed – led by a pair of All-Americans in guard Ayo Dosunmu and big man Kofi Cockburn – yet the Illini fell in the Round of 32. Three seasons later, Illinois was carried to the Elite Eight by Terrence Shannon Jr. before running into a buzzsaw in eventual 2024 national champion UConn.

So what was the difference-maker in 2025-26? How have Underwood and his Illini managed to finally reach that ever-elusive Final Four? To Underwood, it comes down to a variety of factors.

Brad Underwood details how Illinois reached a long-awaited Final Four

Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood cuts the net 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

“I think our versatility,” Underwood told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein ahead of the Final Four. “This team’s diverse. We may have more productivity off the bench. I like to say we’ve got eight starters. And then size. We’re a big team. That impacts and can change some things. But I like our versatility, and I think it’s been a key for us all year. Then we’ve been pretty good at offense.”

All of that has been on display in Illinois’ 2026 March Madness run. Andrej Stojakovic, who has been coming off the bench, has starred on both ends for the Illini, averaging 15.0 points while locking up opposing stars. The size, meanwhile, has paid dividends on the glass and defensively. 

Andrej Stojakovic off the bench to send Illinois to the Sweet 16:

21 PTS | 7-12 FG | 26 MINS pic.twitter.com/fXbI4Z5ekf

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 22, 2026

“Focus,” said Underwood on what has spurred the Illini's defensive improvements during the tournament. “I think Kylan Boswell and Andrej Stojakovic back healthy. We hit the hiccup in the middle of Big Ten play. Obviously, Kylan breaks his hand. He’s a first-team All-Defensive guy. And then Andrej Stojakovic has turned into 1a in terms of the defensive side. The job Andrej did in the second half [against Iowa] on Bennett [Stirtz] was incredible. … It has taken him a while on that side, but he’s been phenomenal.”

“Reinjecting those two back in took us a minute," Underwood said. "It wasn’t easy to get our chemistry back. But I think our focus, our staff has done an incredible job of kind of lining that up. Then just doubling down on rebounding the basketball. That’s helped us a great deal.”

Illinois will need all of that – offensive versatility, size and defensive focus, among other things – to put its best foot forward Saturday night (5:09 p.m. CT, TBS) against UConn. And if it all comes together, the Illini, in all likelihood, will find themselves playing for a national title on Monday.