Wisconsin 91, Illinois 88 OT Postgame

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#1,051      
CleverHandle1
EmeraldCityIllini said:
Understood.

What if he does reach the second weekend this year? Where would 2 out of the past 3 years being in the second weekend put him in your mind as far as trajectory?
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With this year's team, my expectation is an E8, and I would be disappointed if they did not get there.

However, if the Illini reach the S16, I don't think it warrants for BU to be fired the next day, but there should be some serious talk about accountability, and if BU doesn't like what he hears from JW, then he has a right to pursue other options.
 
#1,052      
EmeraldCityIllini
Umm, I was talking about not being able to hire a top coach if we moved on from Underwood, which is how the post ended...

A big bag of money and a top tier job will still be a draw to the top coaches. We are nowhere near where we were as a program in the 2010s.
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You sound like Mitch Barnhart two years ago.

Whiff. Whiff. Whiff. Whiff. Whiff.
 
#1,053      
WhereDoWeStandWithStorr?
Fly Illini Fly! said:
So, the language he used was “top 10 coach in the country over the last 6-7 years.”

Highest winning % over the last 7 seasons among P4 programs:

1. Houston: 86.6%
2. Duke: 79.7%
3. Arizona: 78.4%
4. UCONN: 78.3%
5. Purdue: 76.4%
6. Alabama: 72.7%
7. Tennessee: 72.7%
8. Kansas: 72.5%
9. Illinois: 70.3%
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Gonzaga would be excluded here.

Still firmly top 10 tho.
 
#1,054      
DeeAndDWill
New Creation said:
Ok, so firing the most winningest coach over a 7 year span in this conference is a positive thing for a winning coach looking to move to another school? I'm interested in your train of thought... Brad isn't weber, or Groce.. That is how you turn into Indiana.. Expectations are too high vs reality...
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My train of thought is coaches will go where the money is and won't protest coming to Illinois because they fired a coach with a winning regular season record.
 
#1,056      
BrimfieldBomber
Illini in Italy said:
Glad you’re not the AD . . . value your input and your inside info, but your dislike of Underwood is too strong for the best Illinois coach of the past 20 years . . .
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Best Illinois coach in the past 20 years - is like saying Michael Jordan was the best baseball player in his family.

It was 2 guys that were/drifted out of their league and couldn't keep up with the big boys in the B1G.
 
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#1,058      
DeeAndDWill
New Creation said:
So what coach is coming here? I think most would agree Brad is a top 10 coach in college basketball.. maybe 9 names better.. Do we bring in an NBA coach like BYU ?
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In this hypothetical world where Underwood and Illinois part ways (which I'm not saying will happen or I necessarily advocate), I trust Josh Whitman to bring in someone great.

And for me, the bigger question is - If you are so sure that no one better than Underwood could ever be hired here, or wouldn't come because of some moral stance against an AD firing a head coach (I mean just typing that makes me laugh endlessly)...

I guess my question is why don't trust Josh Whitman?
 
#1,059      
New Creation
My train of thought is coaches will go where the money is and won't protest coming to Illinois because they fired a coach with a winning regular season record.
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So out of curiosity what would a contract look like? Has to be the the highest paid contract in the country no?

Here are the current salaries.

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Do we make a 10 mil/year offer to someone? Plus, Brad has a lifetime contract right? He is making around 4.4 Mill a year plus bonuses, As of April 1, 2025, USA Today lists Illinois’ buyout exposure at about $25.9 million if it fired him without cause under the then‑current deal

I do trust JW, he is loyal, I dont see him making a move unless we don't make the NCAAs at all in the next 2-3 years.. and I don't see that happening..
 
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#1,061      
LouHenson
(1) define legit. did Villanova and NC State have legit chances?
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See when you have been a fan for over 60 years the 2 biggest tournament “Cinderella” stories as examples are to really except? I remember every final four from about 1972 on, and the two examples you picked were flukes in my view? We could have won it in 1984, 1989, 2001, 2005 and we should of had the chance Kofi and Ayo’s year, but let’s just say it was and was shown to be a pipe dream. I will let everyone decide why that was?
 
#1,062      
NarrowJ
DeeAndDWill said:
In this hypothetical world where Underwood and Illinois part ways (which I'm not saying will happen or I necessarily advocate), I trust Josh Whitman to bring in someone great.

And for me, the bigger question is - If you are so sure that no one better than Underwood could ever be hired here, or wouldn't come because of some moral stance against an AD firing a head coach (I mean just typing that makes me laugh endlessly)...

I guess my question is why don't trust Josh Whitman?
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Because he hired the guy you want fired?

(I mean just typing that makes me laugh endlessly)
 
#1,063      
Illiniindian
But as bad as the twins are from the outside, other than an occasional dunk, they’re worse inside. When you have 2 guys over 7’ and if they get a rebound they throw it back out instead of taking it up there is a problem.
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I agree with this. But this also means our fans overrated this team. It’s simple, this was always a very good team. Never a great team.
That’s okay with me.
 
#1,064      
Indy Illini Fan
Illini in Italy said:
Glad you’re not the AD . . . value your input and your inside info, but your dislike of Underwood is too strong for the best Illinois coach of the past 20 years . . .
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Congrats to Brad he’s better than John Groce and Bruce Weber …

Build the statue …

GMAB …

And I don’t dislike Brad … I dislike some of the decisions that are made … And I am frustrated with the coaching issues that are absolutely blatant at this point and the lack of March success …
 
#1,066      
Illiniindian
Using words like mediocrity to describe a premier conference’s best team over the last several seasons … lol it’s wild out here
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sports fans equal immaturity. It’s been like that forever. Sad though
 
#1,067      
Pikeillinifan
DeeAndDWill said:
In this hypothetical world where Underwood and Illinois part ways (which I'm not saying will happen or I necessarily advocate), I trust Josh Whitman to bring in someone great.

And for me, the bigger question is - If you are so sure that no one better than Underwood could ever be hired here, or wouldn't come because of some moral stance against an AD firing a head coach (I mean just typing that makes me laugh endlessly)...

I guess my question is why don't trust Josh Whitman?
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I think the question is, do you overspend on hoops in this world, or invest as much $ as possible on football? Brad wins, not at the level we want, but we’re pretty good.

If we have extra millions $ to spend, if I’m Josh, I’m putting toward football, which is the biggest revenue driver for the athletic department.
 
#1,068      
NarrowJ
DeeAndDWill said:
Can you please point to my saying I want Brad Underwood fired?

Thanks I'll wait.
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You don’t? Then why are we having this conversation? You don’t really seem to be on the side in defense of him. I’m actually unsure what the point of the discussion is if you don’t want him fired but we’re taking about his replacement.
 
#1,069      
EmeraldCityIllini
CleverHandle1 said:
With this year's team, my expectation is an E8, and I would be disappointed if they did not get there.

However, if the Illini reach the S16, I don't think it warrants for BU to be fired the next day, but there should be some serious talk about accountability, and if BU doesn't like what he hears from JW, then he has a right to pursue other options.
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This will not win me motivational quote of the year awards...

IMO. If two elite 8's in 3 years is your baseline for not being disappointed, with a roster thats not top 15 paid, and a coach thats not top 10 paid, then i really worry about the expectations of this fanbase.

Obviously, theres context. Like you don't blindly sign up for something that you know doesn't you a title. But man... That would seem like some very positive momentum.
 
#1,073      
FloridaMan
Second place is 1st loser said:
It amuses most, with common sense, that anyone would even entertain the thought of pushing aside the coach of the winningest program over the last half decade, coaching the team of a top 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, currently ranked 9th in the country, top 10 in NET rankings ...because they don't think he wins enough.

All coaches and players are open to criticism. That's just fandom. The debate is part of the fun, but some of the hot takes are flat out lunacy.
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The hot takes certainly are not isolated to one side of this debate lol
 
#1,074      
Indy Illini Fan
Keisersose said:
Eh. I think most actually would just prefer Brad fix the things that need fixed.
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This … It’s as simple as this …

Get a REAL coach … Brad is more CEO than coach and that’s fine …

You’ve got MILLIONS for this staff … Go find a guy who can flat out coach … We need to have actual set plays …

My other issue is roster construction … It needs work … If you’re going to run this offense you better have guys who can flat out SHOOT … In this league, we HAVE to also get more athletic … It’s not negotiable …
 
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