Illini Basketball 2025-2026
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ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Yeah, honestly, I am starting to feel like I owe Tyler Underwood an apology.
I did not like him being handed an opportunity no other coach with his credentials would have gotten and I don't especially like the 2020's NBA-style offense he has injected into the program aesthetically. But what matters is winning, and Tyler's ideas and implementation of them have been extremely effective, regardless of how many eggs had to break to make the omelette.
As always, 100% of the credit and 100% of the blame for everything that happens in the program rests with the head coach, and BU has had the courage of his convictions to see this through in a very successful way.
I think the greatest attribute of Brad as a coach is his willingness to adjust and pivot. Both by looking around the country and see what works offensively and defensively and build a roster to do that, and by adjusting the plan to fit the roster he has when things invariably go wrong (like two years ago when they spent 6 weeks without TSJ and pivoted to a slower, booty-ball offensive approach).
No Mirk? Or I am too much of a homer and too biased? I think if Keaton didn’t turn out to be as good has he has, Mirk would at least be considered for Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Anyone else have an opinion as to whether Mirk has earned a place among the top 50? On the other hand, maybe being left out will motivate him even more.Some additional Keaton love.
Ranking the top 50 men's college basketball players at midseason
No. 1 and 2 were not up for debate. The rest? Fair game. See who made the cut based on performances so far.www.espn.com
big ten network giving Keaton love in their all big ten team selections at the half way point. Raphael Davis knows what he's seeing.
If you filter for conference only, he's #1
How smart is this young man? Amazing information to listen to as an Illini fan.
He will be our HC one day.
He will be our HC one day.
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AEX
- West Lafayette
They've done this on their top freshman list for a few weeks now. This is one of many, many little things that make it hard to ignore a clear bias against us or BIG 10 teams in general. My favorite was our bowl game against Tennessee. Despite us winning, all the highlights were focused on Tennessee drives. At this point, I've started avoiding their website as much as possible. I only wish CBSSports or Foxsports would do a better job with their sites. Both look rather amateurish to me and don't provide the same depths of statistics.
PizzaHutParkingLot
- Vodice, Croatia
Great interview @illini0440!
Jokes aside, TU sounds a lot like the Ben Johnson / McVay types of offensive thinkers because of his emphasis on creating advantages. By prioritizing pace, spacing, and getting an edge early, TU calls secondary actions based on who’s on the floor, which is why we’ve seen different players lead the team in scoring.
That flexibility makes teams harder to prep for in March
I was having a good hair dayGreat interview @illini0440!
Jokes aside, TU sounds a lot like the Ben Johnson / McVay types of offensive thinkers because of his emphasis on creating advantages. By prioritizing pace, spacing, and getting an edge early, TU calls secondary actions based on who’s on the floor, which is why we’ve seen different players lead the team in scoring.
That flexibility makes teams harder to prep for in March
Was recently wondering why our asst. coaches are never interviewed,then what do you know.TU comes across as extremely well spoken,smart,basketball mind.His explanation of our offensive principles was outstanding,nice to hear from asst. coaches now and then.Thinking TU ceiling as a coach is very high,maybe here,hmmm.
Agreed, this is a great interview. I enjoy watching the pre and post game interviews of various coaches, including Brad, Painter, Hoiberg, Izzo. Tyler comes across as knowing as much ball as any of them, and provides some great insights into how the offense has evolved and why it's been successful. This #1 offense in the country is not the product of just recruiting great players and rolling the ball out there.
Pounded by the portal: Teams hit hardest by departing transfers who are starring at new schools in 2025-26
You could field a good team comprised solely of the outbound transfers from the 'ghost roster' of these schools
www.cbssports.com
this article would sting if things weren't going well. if anything it shows the staff are great at talent identificationNot sure where to put thisPounded by the portal: Teams hit hardest by departing transfers who are starring at new schools in 2025-26
You could field a good team comprised solely of the outbound transfers from the 'ghost roster' of these schools
Indeed. im glad to see dra Gibbs putting up good numbers this season though
NBA drafts on potential and projections of how good a player will be. To me Keaton meets those marks with how rapidly he has developed in college. How many of the 5 stars recruits from the freshman class were dominant because they were always bigger and faster? To me a player like Keaton should continue to develop and get betterSome additional Keaton love.
Ranking the top 50 men's college basketball players at midseason
No. 1 and 2 were not up for debate. The rest? Fair game. See who made the cut based on performances so far.
agreed. you could feel he needed to be unleashed. good for him
Just wanting to support a guy who is improving his fit and contribution with elite talent for his team. Having seen posters state that Andej had a poor game against Purdue, I want to emphatically disagree. He did not score 30 and look unstoppable at the rim, but he did work his tail off on a guy who is maybe the most difficult player to guard in all of college basketball while getting some big rebounds and playing smart on the offensive end. No single player will ever be a huge scoring factor every night, but they are all playing smarter and more together over the last month, Andrej included. That is what I look for every night, how these kids are growing and melding together. It has been fun watch in spite of the injuries. I really bothers me that so many don't see that or are willing to denigrate players who are making critical contributions every night regardless of points scored.
There is almost always a best reaction to any moment on the court, and this team is choosing more and more of those.
There is almost always a best reaction to any moment on the court, and this team is choosing more and more of those.
Makes me think we dodged a bullet with Ace.Not sure where to put thisPounded by the portal: Teams hit hardest by departing transfers who are starring at new schools in 2025-26
You could field a good team comprised solely of the outbound transfers from the 'ghost roster' of these schools
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