Don't understand the vote for Underwood. It's certainly possible that the rebuild shows up this year, but it seems premature after the first two seasons.
here's what CBS sports says about us in picking the Illini for 5th in the B1G:
5. ILLINOIS
(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
Illinois has not been ranked in three seasons or had a Big Ten winning record since 2009-10. Is Brad Underwood the man to change that this season?
He welcomes increased expectations for a program that has missed six straight NCAA Tournaments.
“It’s nice to have those. It’s something that we should never run away from. I think he’s very, very confident in his teammates. The guys that are back, the future, he knows how hard we’re working and how well we played at times late in the season. I think there’s tremendous optimism there, and that expectation is something not only he wants but I want, and we should accept that.”
CBS Sports says, “The conference's biggest wild card lies in the hands of coach Brad Underwood in Champaign, Illinois. The Illini have the weapons to be dangerous, but can they go from a 12-win team last season to a conference title contender? The buzz this offseason surrounding sophomore guard
Ayo Dosunmu doesn't make this scenario seems farfetched. He averaged 24 points per game on the Illini's trip to Italy earlier this summer and seems primed to be the Big Ten's breakout star in his second season.”
Consistently inconsistent.
4,5,6 and 7.....at least they are all in the top 1/2 and 4 is about as high as I've seen for us.