This game brought back the bad memories of what I call "Underwood Specials". Home losses that just should not happen. We seem to have at least 2 a year & that costs you a line or 2 on the seeding at the end.
Objectively Brad has done great things for this program & I am not one of those crazy "fire the coach" types, but to be honest he is not a good in game coach "when stuff goes sideways". We look like the best team in the country when the 3 ball hits but when it doesn't we have struggles. Shot good in this game except for from the line so tonight it was other things.
He has had a solid month without Boswell to figure out how to hide Petro, Lee or some walk on for 5 minutes a night to give Wagler a blow.
I just don't trust him in a big spot against say a UCONN, Duke, Arizona type of team to come up with a game plan that catches the other team off guard. Kind of guy that can get you to the sweet 16 but the title is probably a pipe dream.
As frustrating as these are, they arent unique to underwood/Illinois...lets look at some of the better programs since 2020 and their home losses where they were favored more than 5-6 pts
MSU/Izzo
Loss to 54 Net Indiana as 12 pt fav
Back to back home losses to Iowa and OSU (62 and 49 NET) in '24
Home losses to Northwestern in back to years, on of which NW was barely top 100
Wisconsin/Gard
This year vs USC 9 pt fav
'25 vs PSU (NEt 66) double digit favorite
"24 home vs 90th Net Wake forest,
'22 home vs 77th rutgers and the infamous loss to 141th Nebraska with the outright title on the line
Michigan:
This same Wisky team beat them, but they were full strentgh 19 pt favorites
'24 Loss to Long beach state at home, loss to 98 indiana at home, 89 minnesota, 83 rutgers
'23 loss to 300+ NEt central michigan,
'22 loss to seton hall as 9 pt favorites (37 NET), loss to 103 minny as double digit favorite,
'21 pummeled by us as 9 pt favorites first game with no ayo (ok this shouldnt count but i bet if we got utterly destroyed by a team without their best player at home, this board would lose it)
Purdue
'25 lost to 41 OSU as 10 pt favs
'23 Rutgers adn indiana 8/6 pt favs,
'22 Wisconsin as 13 pt favs (think wisky was missing key players)
I would hardly say only underwood has home duds
There is evidence that you could be right about your take on the title, but he's adapted a LOT over the course of these 9 years, lets hope he can keep evolving.