Illini Basketball 2025-2026

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#401      
bigcityillini
I’ll ask this question for the group of normal fans out here. How many more bad postseasons must you see before you consider coming to the other side of the fence. Or will you never do that simply because you care about big ten games so much?

Curious where the average fans sit on this. And state your age… or how long you’ve been a fan. Because I have a theory on this.
 
#402      
illinifan1987
Don't forget Wisc (title game) in 2015 and scUM in 2018. I mentioned 4 in my Ambien post last night :ROFLMAO:
 
#403      
oldman
bigcityillini said:
I’ll ask this question for the group of normal fans out here. How many more bad postseasons must you see before you consider coming to the other side of the fence. Or will you never do that simply because you care about big ten games so much?

Curious where the average fans sit on this. And state your age… or how long you’ve been a fan. Because I have a theory on this.
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I’ll bite, as writing a response enables me to put off doing some work I’d rather not do. I’m 75 and I’ve been a fan since before Eddie Johnson. Remember Skip Thoren and Don Freeman? There have been ups and downs, obviously, and while I prefer ups I’ve learned to live with the downs. Would I like Illinois to do better each year? Of course. Do I think changing coaches would be a good idea, given the level of entertaining success Brad has provided? Absolutely not. Quite frankly, I was surprised to read this thread and learn there is a movement to dump Brad. What I have learned into my 8th decade is unhappy, dissatisfied people make a lot more noise than contented people, a truism exacerbated by the opportunity to express dissatisfaction anonymously on the internet.
 
#404      
MikeTisdale
bigcityillini said:
I’ll ask this question for the group of normal fans out here. How many more bad postseasons must you see before you consider coming to the other side of the fence. Or will you never do that simply because you care about big ten games so much?

Curious where the average fans sit on this. And state your age… or how long you’ve been a fan. Because I have a theory on this.
Click to expand...

None of this history matters anymore. We're only a few years into paying players (with things still changing every year), and the Big Ten put a team in the Championship in 2024.

Anecdotally, it was the blue blood schools doing most of the under the table money supported by the shoe companies (and boosters) for basketball (basically the whole SEC and a select few Big 12 and B1G schools for football). And since none of those schools were in the Big Ten (unless we're still counting Indiana), that resulted in those teams making a lot of final fours and the Big Ten not. And most of the "conference" results were skewed by Kentucky, Duke, UNC and Kansas anyway.

But now, everyone is paying and the current conferences barely look like they used too. It's going to eventually be the bigger schools with large alumni bases rising to the top, especially those with good football programs/ in good football conferences to share the money (describes a whole lot of Big Ten schools).
 
#405      
moonpies88
Here's a serious question. How much do you think Underwood has improved as a coach since he got here? Not recruiting or anything like that but X's and o's?
 
#406      
From the cheap seats
Been an Illini fan for about 25 years. I value Illini teams based on their entertainment value, and I enjoy seasons game by game. By that definition, what moves the needle for me is whether teams play well over the course of a season rather than in a single-elimination event that is so dependent on the randomness of things like officiating (see 2005 title game), running into a team going on a heater in a single game or the opposite, having your team go ice cold for a game. I appreciate the way in which Underwood has adapted to the new NIL world and that his teams for the past several years have provided consistently more entertaining seasons than any period during my time following the Illini. I don't take for granted losing three players to the NBA and quickly reloading to have a Top 20 team.
 
#407      
NarrowJ
moonpies88 said:
Here's a serious question. How much do you think Underwood has improved as a coach since he got here? Not recruiting or anything like that but X's and o's?
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Improved? I'm not sure.

Evolved? A ton.

We've clearly shown that we will change scheme to fit personnel.

People complain about the number of 3 point attempts, but we are not even in the top 10 percentile of 3 point attempts per game this season... and look at how Nate Oats, Pat Kelsey, Grant McCasland, Greg McDermott and Fred Hoiberg coach: all of their teams have shot more 3s per game than we have. Vanderbilt is ranked 12th in the nation and they shoot more 3s than we do. Line up the top 15 teams in the nation and most of those teams shoot a whole bunch of 'em. None of these teams shoot a great percentage either, Alabama recently shot 16-57 in a game, etc etc.
 
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#409      
I-L-L 1318
bigcityillini said:
I’ll ask this question for the group of normal fans out here. How many more bad postseasons must you see before you consider coming to the other side of the fence. Or will you never do that simply because you care about big ten games so much?

Curious where the average fans sit on this. And state your age… or how long you’ve been a fan. Because I have a theory on this.
Click to expand...
29 . . . I obviously want postseason success as much as anybody, but to me it is also almost like catching lightning in a bottle. Yes you need talent and the right coaching group, but you also need some things to go your way. I am really happy with our sustained success year in and year out. Tied for the most B1G wins in the past 6 years, some good non-con wins (although there's room for improvement.)

We are consistently a ranked national program and a worldwide brand. There are certainly worse positions to be in.
 
#410      
Rap47
bigcityillini said:
I’ll ask this question for the group of normal fans out here. How many more bad postseasons must you see before you consider coming to the other side of the fence. Or will you never do that simply because you care about big ten games so much?

Curious where the average fans sit on this. And state your age… or how long you’ve been a fan. Because I have a theory on this.
Click to expand...
How long have you been a fan and how old are you?
 
#411      
bigcityillini
I-L-L 1318 said:
29 . . . I obviously want postseason success as much as anybody, but to me it is also almost like catching lightning in a bottle. Yes you need talent and the right coaching group, but you also need some things to go your way. I am really happy with our sustained success year in and year out. Tied for the most B1G wins in the past 6 years, some good non-con wins (although there's room for improvement.)

We are consistently a ranked national program and a worldwide brand. There are certainly worse positions to be in.
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so my question for that would be. Why do certain coaches seem to strike lightening in the bottle a lot more than others. I hear you I do. But why do you think certain coaches seem to always find that magic while others don’t? Is it actually luck… or something else
 
#412      
21ChampaignSt
Let me start by saying I do not want Brad fired. It's annoying that I even have to start with that.

I'm also not trying to change how anyone else fans. Do you.

But this phenomenon of not caring about March honestly confounds me. I can't think of any other situation where fans say they value the regular season more than a national championship.

Like, are you saying that winning a Final Four game gives you the same emotional high as winning a game against Minnesota in January? If not, then you value March more than the regular season.

NFL is single elimination yet no fanbase simply strives to win their division. They want a Super Bowl.

The MLB is not single elimination. But did you know that the team with the best regular season record only wins the World Series about 25% of the time? Yet, they don't have parades in the streets for finishing with the best regular season record.

Meanwhile, a #1 seed wins the NCAA tournament about 65% of the time. The tournament is good at identifying and crowning the best teams.

Personally, I want the crown.
 
#413      
CrazyIlliniLady
bigcityillini said:
I’ll ask this question for the group of normal fans out here. How many more bad postseasons must you see before you consider coming to the other side of the fence. Or will you never do that simply because you care about big ten games so much?

Curious where the average fans sit on this. And state your age… or how long you’ve been a fan. Because I have a theory on this.
Click to expand...
I'm 69 years old, came to U of I the same year Lou Henson arrived. The Illini didn't make any post-season tournaments during the time I was there (and in the Orange Krunch as they called it then). I remember being excited the year we made the NIT. It was a slow build but eventually, we had some great teams and Flyin' Illini of 1989 was the most fun I ever experienced as an Illini fan. The Kruger years were solid and things were really heating up during that all-too-short Bill Self chapter but at least he left us a star-studded roster. The first few years with Bruce were great, but soon, recruiting began to fall off, and the win-loss record followed. During the Groce years, I actually quit watching the games. When Brad came in, I was on the fence but the Ayo signing changed everything. I am now mildly obsessed, plan my whole schedule around the games, and am constantly looking for pre-game or post-game content. I follow every recruiting development, injury, and even track what's going on with our competitors. Regarding post-seasons, for me, I don't think we've had any for quite a while, certainly not since 2019 when we didn't make the tournament. As long as we're in the post-season, I'm pretty happy, I feel the season was a success. If we stop making the NCAA, that would be a bad post-season but until that happens, I'm sticking with Daddy Brad. Especially if we beat Mizzou, Indiana, Michigan and Iowa most of the time, and have a winning season. Maybe all those years of watching Selection Sunday, just hoping we might squeeze in have left their mark on me but unless we get back there again, I'm Team Brad.
 
#414      
NarrowJ
21ChampaignSt said:
Let me start by saying I do not want Brad fired. It's annoying that I even have to start with that.

I'm also not trying to change how anyone else fans. Do you.

But this phenomenon of not caring about March honestly confounds me. I can't think of any other situation where fans say they value the regular season more than a national championship.

Like, are you saying that winning a Final Four game gives you the same emotional high as winning a game against Minnesota in January? If not, then you value March more than the regular season.

NFL is single elimination yet no fanbase simply strives to win their division. They want a Super Bowl.

The MLB is not single elimination. But did you know that the team with the best regular season record only wins the World Series about 25% of the time? Yet, they don't have parades in the streets for finishing with the best regular season record.

Meanwhile, a #1 seed wins the NCAA tournament about 65% of the time. The tournament is good at identifying and crowning the best teams.

Personally, I want the crown.
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Don't think anyone "doesn't care" about March, conversely, the rhetoric I have seen here is that we should not care about the regular season at all

Also, just personal opinion: I think comparing college sports to professional sports a bit apples/oranges

I honestly hope that there isn't one person on this message board who does not echo your final sentiment

We can't just fire every coach that doesn't win a NC, if that had any degree of success then everyone would be doing it (and again, I understand you're not wanting him fired... but this is the conversation that is being had, currently)
 
#415      
Illinifan74
51 here. Been watching for as long as I can remember as my dad was a big basketball fan. Remember watching the 89 game at home. Was in the Hall for Lou's last game, the Wake game, and I remember where I was for the 2005 championship game. I was also in house for the Chief's last dance. I could go on, but there was not much to remember during the Groce years.

Ill take what Underwood is putting on the floor until such time where we are not consistently winning 20+ while also making the Tournament. We are going to lose games - both the Alabama and Nebraska games hurt to watch, but I still think this team is trying to figure it out. I've been through the highs and lows, and really like the feeling of consistency.
 
#417      
From the cheap seats
Just to clarify, I never said I didn't care about the NCAA Tourney. I said I valued season-long competency (not just a win over Minnesota) more than a single-elimination tournament. The 2005 run was magical. The regular season as well as the tourney. If it wasn't for a last-4-minute comeback for the ages against Arizona, I suppose the most regular-season wins ever by an Illini team would have been considered a failure by some fans. I'm not in that camp.
 
#418      
21ChampaignSt
NarrowJ said:
Don't think anyone "doesn't care" about March, conversely, the rhetoric I have seen here is that we should not care about the regular season at all
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The regular season is a means to an end. There have absolutely been people who say they care more about the reg season than a "single elimination crap shoot". Again, I'm not trying to change their mind. It's just strange to me.

NarrowJ said:
Also, just personal opinion: I think comparing college sports to professional sports a bit apples/oranges
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Ok, scratch my NFL and MLB examples from your memory. I doubt IU is satisfied with simply being the #1 seed in the CFP and being the best regular season team. They surely value the national championship more than being the #1 seed. Although this might not be the best example because IU has been so historically bad that their fans might just be happy to be there. But hypothetically, if OSU wins the natty as a 2 seed, I doubt their fans are saying that they would've preferred to have been the best regular season team instead.

NarrowJ said:
We can't just fire every coach that doesn't win a NC, if that had any degree of success then everyone would be doing it (and again, I understand you're not wanting him fired... but this is the conversation that is being had, currently)
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I don't think anyone thinks winning a natty is a requirement here. You guys can waste your time debating whether Brad should be fired or not. That's not the conversation I'm having. I'm observing a very peculiar attitude / behavior from part of our fanbase and contrasting it with my own goals as a fan.
 
#419      
NarrowJ
21ChampaignSt said:
The regular season is a means to an end. There have absolutely been people who say they care more about the reg season than a "single elimination crap shoot". Again, I'm not trying to change their mind. It's just strange to me.


Ok, scratch my NFL and MLB examples from your memory. I doubt IU is satisfied with simply being the #1 seed and being the best regular season team. They surely value the national championship more than being the #1 seed. Although this might not be the best example because IU has been so historically bad that their fans might just be happy to be there. But hypothetically, if OSU wins the natty as a 2 seed, I doubt their fans are saying that they would've preferred to have been the best regular season team instead.


I don't think anyone thinks winning a natty is a requirement here. You guys can waste your time debating whether Brad should be fired or not. That's not the conversation I'm having. I'm observing a very peculiar attitude / behavior from part of our fanbase and contrasting it with my own goals as a fan.
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1. Agreed, some people have said they care more about the reg season. Some people also have said they don't even care about the regular season at all, it doesn't even matter. I think true perspective lies somewhere in between. If the regular season doesn't matter, then just close this message board down from Nov 1 thru March 15, I dunno... EDIT: I think we kind of agree on this point that it is simply a matter of personal preference?

2. I don't disagree with any of this. The distinction I like to make here though is its okay to be upset about a tournament loss while not also simultaneously grading your coaching staff based on those games only.

3. I'd hope not. So more to the conversation you're wanting to have here: being unhappy if we have one S16 in the last several years and being happy if we have two. Which is a difference of one singular game, and that approach seems shortsighted to me. Why would you want to label persons who do not have such black & white thinking as having "peculiar behavior"?
 
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#420      
ChiTown
GoodePodzMelendez said:
The NBA Lottery picks are mainly freshmen. For the NBA to notice him, he will need to keep is current play where it is and Illinois making a deep run in the NCAA.
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We necessarily don’t have to make a deep run, but you right he does need to keep up his current level of play or even elevate it.
 
#421      
Hessel Blvd
bigcityillini said:
I’ll ask this question for the group of normal fans out here. How many more bad postseasons must you see before you consider coming to the other side of the fence. Or will you never do that simply because you care about big ten games so much?

Curious where the average fans sit on this. And state your age… or how long you’ve been a fan. Because I have a theory on this.
Click to expand...
50 here. Paying attention since mid-80's.
There are a lot of "leaders" in the world in different settings that are skilled at changing a broken culture and turning an organization back towards a desired goal, but aren't good at getting an organization from good to great. It's less common to find a leader that can re-set AND take an organization from good to great once the proverbial corner is turned. I think the question is does Underwood have the skillset to go from good to great. He clearly had the right skillset to take Illinois from semi-broken to good, but it seems like the last few seasons have just been scrambling each year to find a twist that will maximize the group that he has that year. It doesn't feel like there is a robust/consistent culture that is growing over time. Illinois feels like a viable destination for top-tier talent now, which is great, but it just kind of feels to me like it's a culture of "lots of potential" with inconsistent results culture. But that's just how it feels to me.
 
#422      
bigcityillini
To me this argument is like whenever a guy gets turned down for a date. Of course he wanted the date (tourney success) but once she said no then he never cared about the date, didn’t like her, dating is unfair, and loves being single etc.

If Illinois had an abundance of postseason success then that’s what we would care about. But since we don’t, we cling to what we do have (our singleness, freedom etc/ regular season success). It’s lesser. We all know that. But since it’s what we got… we’re gonna sure as hell act like we care about it to validate ourselves.
 
#423      
21ChampaignSt
NarrowJ said:
Why would you want to label persons who do not have such black & white thinking as having "peculiar behavior"?
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Lol um because it's peculiar. As in unusual or unexpected. As in, I can't think of other fanbases I'm part of or witness to that share these attitudes. As in, the NFL, MLB, or NCAA football examples I shared.

But I'm out. Not going to have a multi page debate with you about the word peculiar and our fanbase's specific brand of it.
 
#424      
NarrowJ
21ChampaignSt said:
Lol um because it's peculiar. As in unusual or unexpected. As in, I can't think of other fanbases I'm part of or witness to that share these attitudes. As in, the NFL, MLB, or NCAA football examples I shared.

But I'm out. Not going to have a multi page debate with you about the word peculiar and our fanbase's specific brand of it.
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Totally within your right to think it's peculiar, I merely asked 'why'... if considering more information than "one S16 bad, two S16 good" is unusual or unexpected to you, I accept that. No need for a multi-page debate. (y)
 
#425      
bigcityillini
Hessel Blvd said:
50 here. Paying attention since mid-80's.
There are a lot of "leaders" in the world in different settings that are skilled at changing a broken culture and turning an organization back towards a desired goal, but aren't good at getting an organization from good to great. It's less common to find a leader that can re-set AND take an organization from good to great once the proverbial corner is turned. I think the question is does Underwood have the skillset to go from good to great. He clearly had the right skillset to take Illinois from semi-broken to good, but it seems like the last few seasons have just been scrambling each year to find a twist that will maximize the group that he has that year. It doesn't feel like there is a robust/consistent culture that is growing over time. Illinois feels like a viable destination for top-tier talent now, which is great, but it just kind of feels to me like it's a culture of "lots of potential" with inconsistent results culture. But that's just how it feels to me.
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exactly how it feels to me. Brad is a B coach. Really good at building up a dead program. But is he the guy to bring us to the next level... not seeing that. And im not sure surrounding himself with lesser and lesser assistants is the way to maximize the roster/program.
 
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