Illinois' Brad Underwood Teases 'Great Opportunity' in Florida Scrimmage

The Illini are set to face off against the defending national champs in a closed-door run, which has Underwood excited for very specific reasons

Mar 23, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the first half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against the Kentucky Wildcats at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Illinois’ first matchup of the 2025-2026 season was a highly regarded Illinois State squad, picked to finish first in the Missouri Valley Conference. But the Redbirds were a mid-major nonetheless – and happened to missing its top two players when they met the Illini in Champaign on Sunday.

After Illinois took down ISU 92-65 in their exhibition, things are set to ramp up in a huge way for the Illini. Their next “matchup” – we use that term loosely given that none of these initial runs count toward their official record – will be a closed-door scrimmage against reigning national champion Florida.

Brad Underwood on the challenge Florida offers Illinois

Mar 21, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA: Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood watches play down court during the first half against the Xavier Musketeers at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

“I think they’re the defending national champions – I think,” said Illini coach Brad Underwood with a wry smile when asked what he hopes Florida can help his club learn about itself.

“Their whole front line is back. Boogie Fland, we saw last year at Arkansas – a point guard who has had high-level success. Really legit size – maybe a team that’s every bit as big as we are."

The Gators really are one of the only teams in the country that can match the Illini in terms of size – and they may even be slightly bigger. A starting lineup featuring Thomas Haugh (6-foot-9), Alex Condon (6-foot-11) and Rueben Chinyelu (6-foot-10) will pose a myriad of problems for an Illinois team that relies on its own size advantage to dominate the interior and glass.

With that in mind, if the Illini manage to control the paint and the boards against the Gators, then there surely won’t be a game Underwood’s club will play all season in which it shouldn't feast in those areas. At the very least, the scrimmage will be a learning opportunity that can offer insight into exactly how to take on those rare individual size disadvantages when they do come up.

Why Underwood is excited about the scrimmage format

Even if things don't go so well for the Illini in the scrimmage, Underwood is looking forward to its value as a teaching tool.

“Bodies will be banging. They’ll be flying around," Underwood said. "It’s nice we can stop and coach in moments that are different than a game. We can really get dialed into looking at lineups. It’s less scouting, more us versus them in the moment. I love these things, and then you can keep going. You don’t have to play regulation minutes and have media timeouts and all that. … Great opportunity to see truly where we’re at against one of the best and the defending national champions."

The final outcome has little meaning. Obviously, it would be an excellent sign if Illinois managed to take down Florida, but the hands-on coaching that can be done in this scenario against a top-shelf opponent is infinitely more valuable than an unofficial, and ultimately meaningless, "win."  

Especially with another loaded non-conference slate, the Illini can really use a matchup like this to prepare them for the gauntlet that awaits in the coming weeks.