What Brad Underwood Can Learn From 2025 Final Four Teams

If last season's NCAA Tournament semifinalists are any indication, the Illini need guard experience to make a deep run

Nov 4, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood gets a hand from a young fan before a game against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

With the 2024-2025 college basketball season officially in the books, there are some key ideas Illinois coach Brad Underwood might consider taking from the programs that made the Final Four.

Houston, Duke, Auburn and Florida were unique in their own ways, but each program had one thing that Illinois should attempt to replicate: experienced guard play.

Even before NIL took over the college basketball world, success in March was synonymous with veteran guard play. The best teams in the country are typically led by seasoned backcourt players, and younger teams often bow out early in the NCAA Tournament.

The impact of experienced guards was evident in the just-concluded Final Four. Houston started senior L.J. Cryer and junior Milos Uzan; Florida relied on senior Walter Clayton Jr. and graduate Alijah Martin; Auburn featured seniors Denver Jones and Miles Kelly; and Duke deployed junior Tyrese Proctor and graduate Sion James.

In total, the starting guards among that group included no freshmen, no sophomores, two juniors, four seniors and two graduates. A glance back at past top NCAA Tournament finishers reveals a similar trend. Experienced guards clearly lead to winning in March, when games tighten and pressure mounts.

Although the Illini had two great guards last season in freshman Kasparas Jakucionis and junior Kylan Boswell, there were still some issues in the backcourt. For one, Jakucionis, who averaged 15.0 points and 4.7 assists, lacked experience. It showed in the NCAA Tournament against a veteran Kentucky squad, as the Lithuanian coughed up the ball six times and finished with only two assists.

Another issue was a lack of backcourt depth. When Boswell or Jakucionis went to the bench, sophomore Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn was the go-to guy – but he, too, had relatively little experience and had his share of struggles during the season.

With Jakucionis off to the NBA Draft as a potential lottery pick and Gibbs-Lawhorn headed to UNLV, Underwood is facing a bunch of questions (and potentially a lack of experience) at guard. The Illini are fortunate to return a veteran from last year's squad in Boswell.

A Champaign native, Boswell was brilliant in March – especially against Kentucky. In the NCAA Tournament, he averaged 19.0 points and 4.0 assists on 63.6 percent shooting from the field and 55.6 percent from three-point range. With his offensive versatility and defensive prowess, Boswell appears to be one of the best guards not just in the Big Ten but perhaps in all college basketball.

KYLAN BOSWELL WOW 🤯

He had the defender LOST on the hesi 😵‍💫#MarchMadness @IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/GhbT2YAdyC

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2025

With the starting point guard position likely filled (if not by Boswell, then by Ty Rodgers), Underwood should focus on adding depth with quality experience at the guard position, whether through the transfer portal or the European market.

A potential option from Europe is Jakucionis' former teammate Dame Sarr. The Italian guard, who currently plays for FC Barcelona, recently shined at the Nike Hoop Summit, showcasing his impressive talent.

With transfer guards quickly coming off the board, some potential targets for the Illini include Arizona State transfer Adam Miller and UC Riverside transfer Barrington Hargress. Miller is an ex-Illini who averaged 9.8 points as a senior last season for the Sun Devils, while Hargress is an electrifying scorer who averaged 20.2 points and 4.0 assists as a sophomore last season.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Scouting Illinois Signee David Mirkovic, Recruit Dame Sarr at Nike Hoops Summit

Is Illinois in Danger After Missing on Another Transfer Portal Target?

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