Stirring Brad Underwood's Memories of Past NCAA Tournament Glories

"You're asking me to go way, way back," Underwood said, but he eventually uncovered some NCAAs gems

Dec 29, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood acknowledges the fans before a game with the Chicago State Cougars at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

As it turns out, you really never do forget your first.

At least, that was the takeaway from Illinois coach Brad Underwood's post-Selection Sunday press conference, during which he was asked if could recall his earliest NCAA Tournament memrories, either as a fan or coach.

"Man, you're asking me to go way, way back as a fan, you know?" Underwood said with a smile. "I mean, I'm going back to John Wooden days, UCLA, as a kid. As a fan, watching those, I remember Notre Dame – Kelly Tripucka and Adrian Dantley. And I remember John Wooden, the Bill Walton games."

A quick bit of math would put Underwood, now 62, at no older than a boy of about 10 when he was first exposed to the magic of those early-1970s-era Bruins, who won two national championships behind Wooden's disciplined, metronomic coaching and the skillful brilliance of two-time national Player of the Year Walton.

Dantley and Tripucka starred separately at South Bend, but they made those Digger Phelps-led Irish teams throughout the '70s and into the early '80s potent forces in the NCAA Tournament – and an awful lot of fun to watch.

"And then as a coach," Underwood recalled, "my first game as a head coach was a pretty memorable game – beating VCU in the 5-12 game on a four-point play. So you don't forget that one every day."

In fact, Underwood's entire first year as a Division I coach was a banger: He led Stephen F. Austin to a 32-3 season and an undefeated mark in the old Southland Conference. But the pièce de résistance came in the postseason, in only the Lumberjacks' second-ever appearance in the NCAAs.

In SFA's opening game of the tournament, down 67-63 with under 10 seconds to play, Lumberjacks guard Thomas Walkup dribbled full-court, tearing through the middle of the floor and into the paint before kicking to the wing, where guard Desmond Haymon coolly sank a three, absorbed the foul by a closing VCU defender and converted the free throw. Underwood's crew – seeded 12th – went on upend the fifth-seeded Rams 77-75 in overtime in a truly unforgettable NCAA Tournament first-weekend gem for college hoops fans of a certain age.

"That's the fun part of this time of year, is it brings back a lot of great memories," Underwood said. "You love hearing the theme song of CBS and the tournament. It's all fun."

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