Underwood's Illini: Can They Deliver in NCAA Tournament?

0:00On March 17, Illinois coach Brad Underwood is set for his 10th NCAA tournament appearance as a head coach this week. He's made the big dance every year at each of his three stops, starting with Stephen F. Austin, then a quick stint at Oklahoma State, and now nine. Years at Illinois Before arriving in Champaign, Underwood pulled off some big upsets at Stephen F. Austin, including a 12-seed over a 5-seed and a 14-over. A 3-seed against West Virginia, at Oklahoma State, his team fell by just one point as a 10-seed. At Illinois, he's earned five tournament bids with his deepest run coming in 2024 when they reached the Elite 8 as a 3-seed, before losing big to Yukon. Other years brought early exits, like a first-round loss as a 1-seed and more round of 32 defeats. Fans often point to those close calls as signs of under-achievement, despite strong regular seasons. This season's Illinois grabbed a 3-seed, with what many call Underwood's most talented roster yet. They won't need miracles early on, but a potential sweet 16 match-up against two-seed

1:04Houston could test his coaching adjustments. Underwood recently got a contract extension, so the pressure is on to finally deliver deep runs and silence the critics with his loaded team.