Brad Underwood Dubs MVP of Illinois' Win vs. Tennessee: It May Come as a Surprise

In a game packed with NBA prospects, tough defense and a whole lot of orange, the most unlikely star of Illinois’ 75-62 win over Tennessee was the guy who took zero shots from the field. Not one jumper, not a layup, not even a desperation heave as the shot clock expired. Ben Humrichous’ entire scoring output came from two free throws – and Illini coach Brad Underwood still walked into the postgame press conference ready to nominate him the player of the game.

“I would be very remiss if I didn't [mention] the MVP of the game, [who] didn't attempt a field goal: Ben Humrichous. Ben was absolutely phenomenal tonight on the defensive side,” Underwood said, sounding like he had just witnessed a defensive clinic that should be hung at The Louvre. “The job, I thought, defensively that he was able to do on Nate [Ament] … his blockouts, his positioning, his fight. ... The impact tonight of Ben Humrichous and the job he did in his 26 minutes was quite large.”

Quite large, indeed. Large enough that Ament – Tennessee’s projected lottery pick, matchup nightmare and general source of terror for opposing defenses – looked uncomfortable the entire night. Humrichous attached himself to Ament like a GPS tracker, contested everything and turned clean looks into rare luxuries. Ament finished with just nine points on 4-for-14 shooting, one of his worst outings of the season.

David Mirkovic of Illinois had a strong second half in a reduced role.

And Ben Humrichous, who seemingly abandoned ambitions of being an offensive threat, has emerged as a key glue guy from a hustle and def positioning perspective.

It’s small plays like this that win games pic.twitter.com/idWwE6mtGs
— College Hoops Database (@CollegeHoopsTIk) December 7, 2025

That wasn’t an accident. It was Humrichous being consistently, relentlessly, almost comically disruptive. And part of that disruption came from the little things most people never notice but that coaches obsess over: He boxed out with purpose, carved out space and chased down rebounds that had no business becoming Illinois possessions. Those effort plays slowed Tennessee’s momentum and helped the Illini win the physical battle.

And what made it even better? Humrichous has heard the critiques. For years, the internet’s favorite knock on him has been defense and tougness, or lack thereof. But this season, he has quietly been outstanding. He was terrific against Texas Tech earlier in the year and followed it up with a season-best defensive rating of 115.7 against the Vols – the top mark on the team.

He even delivered one of the sneakiest, most important plays of the entire night: The Vols came down with a defensive rebound late in the game … or so they thought. Humrichous instantly tied the ball up, forced a jump ball and handed Illinois possession thanks to the arrow. It was one of those gritty, winning plays that gets the bench up screaming and Underwood clapping like someone just told him Papa Del's was giving away free pizza.

when in smashville pic.twitter.com/SP1q0O3GPv
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) December 7, 2025

Humrichous didn’t need to score from the field to change the game. His value didn’t come from a box-score explosion – it came from physicality, focus, timing, intelligence and a defensive effort that completely derailed Tennessee's (arguably) most important player.

So, yes, Illinois got a huge bounce-back win in Nashville. But the story of the night? The guy who scored just two points (the old-fashioned way) and still walked off the court looking like the Illini’s most indispensable player.

Ben Humrichous: Illinois' shot-free MVP.