OMAHA, Neb. — Brad Underwood took his time leaving the ground on Saturday night time. He clapped his fingers above his head as he walked towards the Illinois cheering part, then stopped and punched on the air twice in celebration.
Underwood would say later that it was for the followers, who hadn’t skilled getting out of the primary weekend of the NCAA Event since 2005. His group cruised there with a dominant 89-63 second-round win over Duquesne, getting that rattling monkey off this system’s again. However, if he have been being trustworthy, this had weighed on him too. He’d been to seven NCAA Tournaments as a head coach and by no means made it previous the Spherical of 32, together with a irritating second-round loss as a No. 1 seed three years in the past to Loyola Chicago.
This wasn’t simply an Illinois downside; it’s a Large Ten downside.
The league hasn’t produced a nationwide champion since Michigan State in 2000. Most groups construct to win of their league, and that has been the Large Ten’s challenge. You win in March with guards. You win within the Large Ten with bigs.
And that 2021 group? Very Large Ten-ish, constructed round 7-foot behemoth Kofi Cockburn.
“Once we misplaced as a (No, 1), we had holes,” Underwood stated. “And we have been actually good. Ayo (Dosunmu) was clearly a professional. Kofi was an All-American. However we had no positional dimension. We obtained away with it, due to Kofi. And but, we have been very, very restricted in what we may do offensively and defensively.”
Underwood decided then. He was now not going to construct with the Large Ten in thoughts; he was constructing for March.
He had yet one more season with Cockburn, surrounding him with little guards who may shoot. However as soon as the massive fella was gone, it was time to lean into the place he noticed the sport was going.
“We began recruiting greater wings,” he stated. “We’ve obtained a small guard or two in our program, however actually understanding that versatility was far more key than having a 7-footer. I loved Kofi. I’ve hated taking part in towards Zach Edey, however we’ve additionally obtained to determine methods to have continued success within the postseason as effectively.”
This season the Illini begin 5 gamers all 6-foot-6 or taller. Underwood likes to say they begin 5 energy forwards, as a result of they’ve all performed that place at one time of their profession.
After one weekend, it seems like Underwood may need far more than a second-weekend group. The Illini head to the East Regional in Boston as scorching as anybody on this event, following up a Large Ten event title with two convincing wins in Omaha. They head to Boston with the very best offense within the nation, rising to No. 1 in adjusted effectivity at KenPom.com.
And so they obtained there with just a little assist from a brand new good friend.
Particular wins name for particular celebrations! STILL DANCING!!!! pic.twitter.com/GCQE6YyMMQ
— Brad Underwood (@CoachUnderwood) March 24, 2024
After dropping at Tennessee on Dec. 9, Underwood met that night time with former Villanova coach Jay Wright, who had known as the sport for CBS. Wright had lengthy been an acquaintance, however currently Underwood says he’s turn out to be a good friend. And he was an enormous fan of Underwood’s tremendous senior guard Marcus Domask. “He’s unguardable,” Wright advised him.
Underwood and his son Tyler, who helps run his offense, had been experimenting some with Domask backing down his man, an idea Underwood unlovingly coined “booty ball” final season when Penn State beat the Illini thrice with Jalen Pickett in iso backdowns. Wright had extra success in school basketball than anybody posting up his guards, and he favored what he noticed within the restricted instances the Illini had gone to it with Domask.
“You bought to decide to it,” Wright stated.
Tyler Underwood had spent all summer season finding out the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, a group that had an analogous make-up to Illinois — huge guards and a taking pictures 5 — and the Illini had already adopted a five-out offense. They known as it unfold open, attempting to play by stretch-five Coleman Hawkins with Princeton-type ideas away from the ball. The thought was to get everybody touching the ball. “Quite a lot of fluff,” Tyler calls it.
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That night time the Underwoods met, mentioned Wright’s suggestions and decided.
Let’s do it. Sufficient of the fluff.
“We have been turning the ball over an excessive amount of,” Underwood stated. “And we wanted to discover a solution to play into benefits for Marcus.”
They scrapped the NBA units and began finding out Wright’s previous Villanova groups, significantly when he had Jalen Brunson. Domask could be their Brunson. They’d unleash him in booty ball and in addition submit up 6-foot-6 wing Ty Rodgers. They’d give up posting up Hawkins and backup middle Dain Dainja. They’d hold taking part in quick. Seven seconds or much less has all the time been the aim in preliminary offense. But when a fast shot wasn’t there, they’d attempt to decide on a mismatch or create them with ball screens.
“All the things in basketball is about creating a bonus, getting two to the ball,” Tyler Underwood stated. “We attempt to get two to the ball, after which we work a ton on simply taking part in from there.”
That meant fewer passes and never everybody touching the ball, however the gamers purchased in as a result of the coaches consulted them on the place they favored the ball. Hawkins may nonetheless provoke from the perimeter. The ground was now open for Terrence Shannon Jr., who had struggled his first season with the Illini in attacking closeouts. The ball had caught as soon as it obtained to Shannon final season as he surveyed the ground and regarded for driving lanes. They preached to him point-five basketball, which means to resolve a half-second.
The early outcomes have been promising. Two weeks in, the Illini smoked Missouri 97-73 within the ultimate sport earlier than Shannon was suspended. The Illini leaned much more on Domask within the six video games with out Shannon, making it clear that he was the hub of the offense.
It took some adjusting as soon as Shannon returned, however he’s now taking part in the very best basketball of his life, getting higher about choosing his spots to assault. Nobody in school basketball is more durable to protect in house, and he’s averaging 30.5 factors per sport throughout the Illini’s present six-game profitable streak.
Morehead State had a wise sport plan for Domask on Thursday, sending additional assist his method as soon as he began backing down and dishonest off Rodgers. The Illini confirmed they’ve a changeup, going to a much bigger lineup towards Morehead with Dainja, who scored 21 factors and didn’t miss a shot. When wanted, Dainja can nonetheless be the standard back-to-the-basket huge. Domask ultimately dissected the protection, pulling the assistance over to get two to the ball after which organising his teammates. He had his first profession triple-double with 12 factors, 10 assists and 11 rebounds.
Duquesne had been the sixth-best protection in school basketball throughout a nine-game profitable streak and slowed the high-octane BYU offense with physicality, bumping cutters and off-ball motion that was similar to how Illinois tried to play early this season.
However with out the fluff, it got here right down to one-on-one protection. Duquesne regarded outclassed from the leap, with an excessive amount of house to cowl.
“It’s just a little distinctive,” Tyler Underwood stated. “Not everybody touches the ball each single possession. However our guys have had enjoyable with it, and it’s been a blast.”
Wright had one different factor to share together with his good friend again in December. He knew precisely the stress he felt.
Wright advised Underwood about his struggles early on at Villanova. It took him 4 seasons to make an NCAA Event. After making his first Remaining 4 in 2009, Wright didn’t get out of the primary weekend for one more seven years. In fact, he not solely obtained out of the primary weekend in 2016, he gained the nationwide championship.
“Each nice coach has gone by …,” Underwood stated, earlier than catching himself. “I’m not saying I’m a fantastic coach; I feel each coach has gone by it.”
Underwood mentions Invoice Self, who misplaced to Bucknell and Bradley in his second and third seasons at Kansas, after which misplaced within the Elite Eight the following season earlier than following that up together with his first nationwide title. Self had Illinois rolling within the early 2000s, beginning a run of second-weekend appearances that Bruce Weber continued in his first two years. For 4 out of 5 seasons, the Illini made the second weekend, culminating with the 2005 run to the nationwide title sport.
That sort of sustained success? Can this program get again to that?
“It’s method too good a program (to not),” Underwood stated. “Have a look at the followers which can be right here. We promote out each night time. We spent $170 million renovating the State Farm Middle. We simply constructed a 40-plus million-dollar apply facility. That is an unimaginable program. To me, that’s extra surprising it’s been 19 years. And I’m completely satisfied for all of them. I’m completely satisfied for the followers. I’m completely satisfied for this system. I by no means doubted that I might get there.”
He brings up Wright once more.
“I hope I’ve his success,” Underwood says and laughs.
You get the sensation he’s solely half-joking. He believes he’s discovered the blueprint, which he says he’ll by no means stray from.
Booty ball, a talented middle and Villanova with tempo. That may win in March and April.
(Picture of Brad Underwood: Steven Branscombe / USA In the present day)