Illini now

Illinois' Brad Underwood on Confidence of Winning and 'Knowing We Got Punched'

Underwood liked much of what he saw in the No. 14 Illini's 81-77 home win over No. 11 Texas Tech on Tuesday
Jason Langendorf|
Nov 11, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood walks to the court before the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Nov 11, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood walks to the court before the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

In this story:

Illinois Fighting IlliniTexas Tech Red Raiders

Tuesday offered the first hint of legitimacy of the months of speculation from many of us keeping tabs on Illinois basketball: These Illini are contenders.

After an 81-77 win over No. 11 Texas Tech at Champaign's State Farm Center, the No. 14 Illini (3-0) are no longer a theoretical, on-paper experiment in meshing skill, shooting, size and a dash of Balkan seasoning. In holding off JT Toppin, shutting down Christian Anderson and outdueling Grant McCasland and the Red Raiders, the Illini now have dibs on a top-10 ranking and a place in the conversation among national championship hopefuls. The season ahead is a long one, but there was plenty to see against the Red Raiders that validates Illinois' potential and gave Brad Underwood reason to be encouraged in his postgame press conference.

Here, we share an edited, slightly condensed version of Underwood's postgame presser concentrated on the sharpest takes, juiciest bits and most relevant info. (See full video just below if you prefer.)

Brad Underwood Best of the Presser

Opening statement

"Really good basketball game. Went almost like I thought it would go. They've got one of the best players in the country. You start making decisions on how you want to guard them, and those are challenges – and then you see that they made 52 percent of their shots coming in. They went really small in the second half, and it was a handful. Hats off to [JT] Toppin.

"That's a good basketball team. That's a team that's going to vie for a league championship. They're very efficient defensively. I thought they did a nice job of staying out of rotation. They kind of moved Toppin around to whoever kind of had the hot hand for us. But it was unique that we don't make a three in the second half, and it shows we can do a lot of other things. That's the value of [Andrej Stojakovic], it's the value of Kylan Boswell living downhill, getting to the free-throw line. I think he could be one of the leaders in the country in free-throw attempts.

"But we took what they gave us, and tonight it was good. I'm really proud that we withstood their run and we knew what was coming. They did it all last year – just pretty much ISO – and I thought the job Kylan did defensively ... he gets not near enough credit nationally for how good defensively is. He went from guarding the point guard to guarding the 5 man, and his fronting – with some help on the backside – was huge. And then I told our guys when the game started, when the ball went up on the glass, we had to win the rebounding battle if we wanted to win the game. And, fortunately for us, tonight we did that."

On whether he made adjustments that slowed Texas Tech's late run

"No, I think the one thing you decide is what you're going to give up. When you've got really, really good players and a team that shot over half their shots from three; you've got a guy like [Donovan] Atwell that has made six threes a game; you've got a guy like [Christian] Anderson who has been scoring a 30 point game and is considered one of the top guards not just in the United States but also in Europe – you've got to decide what you're going to give up.

"And we talked about, at halftime, what was coming. It was a steady dose of post-ups, and I thought we let [Toppin] get way too deep. We knew he was predominantly right shoulder, left hand. We knew he didn't want to pass it. I thought we did a much better job of taking away that a little bit. And then when we did decide to go double him, we got a couple of turnovers. So we didn't want to give up a ton of threes tonight, and I thought we were very efficient in that area. I thought we did a nice job on Anderson – he was 0-for-6 on threes – but you're going to give something up against them, and you have to decide what that looks like. Tonight, the Plan B or C, or whatever it was, kind of worked. We were able, with our size, to switch. We put [Stojakovic] on Anderson, and [Boswell] on him, and we were able to switch that ball screen and not get hurt by it."

On whether any other college players can match Kylan Boswell's all-around contributions

"I don't worry about all that stuff on the national level; that's your job to figure all that stuff out. I just keep saying that he's a really good two-way player. I've said he's elite defensively, he's extremely strong. But, yeah, he's our leader. We follow him. He had a kind of a bad turnover late, and I've got to see the flagrant foul. But he's our guy. Downhill, open floor, with the shooting we have with our 5 men, he can be very efficient and put himself in a position to be one of the best guards in America."

On Andrej Stojakovic's patience balancing with fast pace of Illinois' other guards

"It's perfect. He was much better tonight than he was [last Friday] night. The other night, he was just in go mode, a little sped up. I don't think we played as fast tonight. They had something to do with that, particularly in the second half, because we couldn't get a stop. But when you've got a couple guards that are physical and downhill, and then you've got guys who can shoot it, we're going to create some space. And so he's a tremendous value,"

On whether he expected Stojakovic to flourish so soon and what he adds to the Illini

"Well, I think it's a credit to him. He's missed seven weeks, and you have a certain expectation level because he's a junior, he's been around, he knows what what high-level games look like. He knows what really good players look like, being in the ACC. But I'm very, very pleased and probably surprised at just the connectivity. He makes a big-time steal – we came out of a timeout and switched the ball screen, and Anderson threw it to him, and it comes over the top, he makes a nice steal. That's something he hasn't practiced. He's watched it in practice as we worked on it, so it's nice to have that. Offensively, we had a pretty good idea what we were getting. I think he's got a chance – with Kylan and Keaton Wagler; both those guys are really good defenders – and I think [Stojakovic] can fit right in and be one of the better defenders out there as well."

On whether the Kylan Boswell-Andrej Stojakovic combination was what he envisioned

"We were very specific in what we were looking for with [Stojakovic], and we had some other guys that we chose to let go of and not keep recruiting. He was very specific to what we were looking for. It's nice to see that, in a really small sample size, kind of work out. We'll see as the season goes. But great, great human being. Great kid. Works really hard. And it's unfortunate – the injury [that held Stojakovic out most of the summer and Illinois' first game] – but he's done everything that we've asked for, and we'll see how that keeps materializing."

On doubling JT Toppin and removing Zvonimir Ivisic from the defensive matchup

"Yes, they had shooters. And it's not a knock on [Ivisic]. What we originally were doing was putting whoever [Toppin] was guarding, putting them in the dunker spot – so he was actually the guy coming over in rotation. But then they moved him, and so we didn't want to switch that matchup and get a guard in a ball screen. And so it was just more of a reaction to their counter. So it worked out; Ben Humrichous did a nice job."

On Illinois' team chemistry at this stage

"Well, five of them are from Europe, they all know each other – that helps. I'm not trying to be sarcastic there, but we've got really good guys. We've got really, really good people. They care about each other, they care about what's important. You have to be around these guys every day, to see the celebration that just took place in the locker room, because of [Boswell's] achievement tonight [scoring 1,000 career points], just dousing him with water and the genuine [camaraderie]. That's what we want to be about. Celebrating moments with teammates, that's what you care about. That's what, ultimately, this is about – because those build lifetime relationships. Got good, good people."

On Andrej Stojakovic's defensive impact and potential

"He's got great size, he's got great feet, he's freakishly athletic. I think we'll see that as we continue to see him get into shape. Probably played him five or six more minutes than I would have hoped, just simply because of conditioning. The sad thing for me is that I didn't get to demand for seven weeks that he guard at a very high level, because my whole premise going into the fall was to make him an elite, winning defender and hold him to that. He doesn't need to score big every single night for us to win and be a great offensive player – but he does have to guard. And that will just help him grow as a player as well. But that's the part I miss the most, is the seven weeks I didn't get a scream and bark at him to guard."

On a statement win build early-season confidence

"We'll find out. It sure helps. That's a good basketball team tonight, and they're very well-coached. They're very disciplined. They play really hard. They have the same mentality we do. But Colgate is going to be an NCAA Tournament team. They're picked to win their league. Obviously, [assistant coach and defensive coordinator Cameron Crocker] knows them very well. There'll be a little extra juice, I'm sure, and they'll present a different challenge. And then Alabama is going to present a different challenge. So I think there's confidence in knowing that we got punched tonight. We saw that in the Florida scrimmage as well, and we reacted. I didn't think we had our our A-game tonight, in some sense. But give them a lot of credit."

On whether Stojakovic was signed to be a closer

"You think that's going to be the case. Upperclassmen have been through it. You think that you've got one in Kylan, and a second one gives you a great option – especially when those guys are able to get downhill and you can't foul them, and so then it becomes about matchups and attacking the matchup. So it's very nice to have that, and I think he'll continue to blossom in that area."

On Keaton Wagler's offensive rebounding

"Two of the biggest plays of the night. We were stagnant, we were flat. And he just comes up with two balls that that keep it alive, keep it going, and we score. And the great thing about Keaton is, he takes everything to heart that I say. I think he's our leading offensive rebounder in three games. He's got great size, he's got a great nose for the ball, and he was huge tonight. When you get guards who rebound – and our guards have always rebounded – he's in that six- and seven-rebounds-a-game range, and Kylan's the same thing. When your guards can rebound, it's a pretty good thing."

On Peja Stojakovic, who attended the Texas Tech game

"You're talking about one of the all-time greats – not just in Europe and in his country. We made a trip to Belgrade this summer, and you find out how large he is. I mean, he's a Michael Jordan-like figure over there. But he's let his son grow up. He's helped him, he has great advice, he's cerebral – but there's no real pressure from him. And Andrej is a different player, and that's a tribute to Dre's success for finding it when your dad's one of the all-time greatest shooters in the history of the game. And not that Andrej is a bad shooter. He's not, but he's a downhill, athletic driver. He's just a different player. And so mom's genes are in there somewhere, and it's just a nice feeling to see their interaction and how close they are. And you talk about both of them – both his mom and dad just raised a terrific son."

On whether it's satisfying that others are now seeing Keaton Wagler outplay expectations

"We knew what we were getting. I don't give two sh-ts what the outside world thinks. If you don't know me better than that now, I don't care. I'll get in trouble with my wife for saying a cuss word. ... But we knew we were getting a good player. I'm glad that he has – I'm not going to say progressed – I'm excited to see him handle the anxiety of being a freshman in college and all that comes with that. That's the new classes, the new system, the new teammates, the new environment. Mom and dad aren't at home and waking you up every morning, and just all of the stuff that comes with that – being an 18-year-old and then being productive on the basketball court. And I'm probably not the easiest guy in the world to play for, but he's just handled it like a champion."

On Zvonimir Ivisic's play

"Second half, Z was outstanding. Z is a gamer. I mean, he is outstanding. See, Z screwed up tonight, because that offensive rebound he grabbed was elite. And unfortunately, I haven't seen that before, so now I've got some ammunition and some film to hold over his head. We see the stepback three, we see the rip-drive layups – we see that that side of things. And his confidence is just growing. But tonight, the second half [when he played less] was more about a matchup – but I thought he was fantastic."

On his first home win over a ranked, non-conference opponent

"Wow, that stinks. Is that the truth? Gosh darn ... bad coach. Yeah, I guess so. We've only had four [games against ranked, non-conference teams]? Yeah, we were talking in pregame about the five-second call against [Alfonso] Plummer in the Arizona game [in 2021]. But, yeah, I guess it's a good thing. It's a nice thing. I'm happy for our fans. I truly am. I'm ecstatic because I'm going to keep bringing – I hope every year – bringing the quality opponents in that are ranked and top teams to see games like that. I enjoy coaching in them. I enjoy being challenged that way. And I hope you all enjoy covering them and seeing them. Yeah, maybe I'll get to .500 at some point."

On Illinois' defensive progress, mixed coverages and his trust in his players to execute

"We're cerebral for a part of it. That's where our freshmen have been really good – David Mirkovic, Keaton, Brandon Lee before he got hurt – understanding the communication pieces of it and what they see. We're continuing to grow in that area. It's what I've been worried about the most with Andre, is that into the court, and those are mistakes we can't make. I'm relatively pleased. I think we've had good halves. I thought we followed the game plan pretty close to a T tonight. I wouldn't have envisioned [Toppin] with 35; I would have figured him getting 20 to 25. He's just going to get that almost every night if he's not in foul trouble. But, yeah, really pleased."

Published
Jason Langendorf
JASON LANGENDORF

Jason Langendorf has covered Illinois basketball, football and more for Illinois on SI since October 2024, and has covered Illini sports – among other subjects – for 30 years. A veteran of ESPN and Sporting News, he has published work in The Guardian, Vice, Chicago Sun-Times and many other outlets. He is currently also the U.S. editor at BoxingScene and a judge for the annual BWAA writing awards. He can be followed and reached on X and Bluesky @JasonLangendorf.

Share on XFollow JasonLangendorf
Home/Basketball