Illinois Was Outcoached vs. Nebraska – And It Won't Be the Last Time

Illinois’ Brad Underwood is a lot of things: a top-notch talent evaluator (he rarely misses on recruits), a gifted recruiter and a master motivator, to name a few.

But no one is perfect. And Underwood’s main flaw is a noteworthy one: X’s and O’s. It can be very difficult to detect certain nuanced trends and often too easy to place blame while observing on the outside looking in. Still, this isn't a new development. Underwood's teams simply lose too many games that they shouldn't.

Whether or not it's an acknowledgment of his limitations, Underwood has shown a willingness to delegate: Tyler Underwood, his son, is Illinois' designated offensive coordinator; Camryn Crocker is the team's official defensive coordinator. In a business of micromanagers and control freaks, that takes stones.

Illinois falls to Nebraska – and coaching

Nov 11, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

We have voiced our dismay with the offense in these pages before, but on Saturday, it was the defensive side of the floor that lost Illinois the game against Nebraska. And although Crocker may own the coordinator title, “head coach” supercedes it. The debacle that was the Cornhuskers’ offensive performance on Saturday should fall squarely on the shoulders of Underwood.

First, a few stats: Nebraska shot 51.6 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from deep. It’s practically impossible to win a basketball game against an opponent that shoots that efficiently. And although the Cornhuskers’ effectiveness from the field could partially be chalked up to their shotmaking ability – especially Pryce Sandfort’s – it was mostly a result of the Illini's defensive shortcomings.

Lack of communication? Check. Inconsistent effort? Check. Mental lapses? Check. The most disheartening part – or encouraging, depending on whether you’re a glass-half-empty or glass-half-full kind of guy or gal – is that Illinois can be excellent on defense.

Unfortunately, the Illini, as we saw on Saturday, can also be quite the opposite.

It’s the small things: Keaton Wagler, for all of his brilliance, continued to help off shooters – including Sandfort – which allowed open looks. All game long, the Illini couldn’t decide whether they were switching or fighting through screens.

Originally, they appeared to be switching across the board, then Andrej Stojakovic seemed to take it upon himself to shut down Sandfort. The result? Miscommunication after miscommunication – and somehow, another wide-open three for Sandfort, of all people.

Dec 13, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Pryce Sandfort (21) reacts after hitting a three-point shot during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Then, of course, there are the simply inexplicable plays, such as when Sam Hoiberg curled around a handoff 30 feet from the basket and an Illini defender bafflingly decided to chase behind, allowing him a free drive to the rim for an easy layup that pushed the lead to seven points.

All of it – the miscommunications, the scouting report mistakes, the absurd mental miscues – can be remedied. But we have seen too many of the same mistakes for 11 games now, and the defensive shortcomings have only somehow worsened.

In-game coaching woes for Illinois continue

Those adjustments haven’t been made on a game-to-game basis, and they sure haven’t been made quickly or consistently enough during the actual contests. Aside from the non-schematic fixes, what about a few in-game switch-ups?

The zone threw off Nebraska’s rhythm a bit in the second half, but how was there absolutely no answer for Sandfort in the first 20 minutes? Stojakovic did a solid job of running him off the line, but why is Illinois not sending two at Sandfort when he’s coming off a ball screen? Why not blitz the guy who is scorching hot and force the ball out of his hands?

And as a coach who seemingly prides himself on holding his players to a high standard, how in the world is Wagler not sitting on the bench after helping off, per Underwood himself, the best shooter in the Big Ten?

Even the best defenses make mistakes. But it all adds up. Miscue after miscue, followed by zero adjustments is naturally going to spell disaster. What’s that famous line?

The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Fortunately, it appears as though Underwood is more than ready to switch things up – but once again, it’s a little too late. Saturday's damage is already done. And, sure, this time it’s just an early-season loss against a top-25 foe. But if history is any indication, this won’t be the last time Illinois drops a contest it has simply no business losing.

Odds are, one of those future occasions will take place in March and may put a much-too-early end to yet another Illini season whose promise deserves better.