A little under a year ago, the Illinois basketball program finished its second season under head coach Brad Underwood but obtained the fewest number of wins since the 1974-1975 season. The Illini finished the 2018-2019 season with a 12-2 record overall and a 7-13 record in the Big Ten.

Now, the Illini are in the midst of a Big Ten Championship race and hit the 20-win mark last Sunday with a home victory over Indiana. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Underwood and his staff have this squad on the verge of dancing for the first time since 2013.

With a 12-6 conference record, the Illini are tied for second in the Big Ten. It seems like the transition from 11th in the Big Ten to closing in on first place was done overnight. But, Underwood has been building this program, sometimes behind closed doors, for three years.

“We had it last year,” Underwood said. “We continued to work and grow last year. It speaks volumes to the character in our locker room. Guys came here to get better and want to have an opportunity to play for something big. Part of that process is growing and maturing and we’ve done that.”

The team’s maturity has been revealed in every player that wears an Illinois uniform. Whether it be the growth in sophomore Ayo Dosunmu’s leadership, the development of freshman Kofi Cockburn or the change in junior Trent Frazier’s defensive toughness, Underwood has fostered a team-first attitude and everyone has bought in.

Dosunmu is anything but surprised by what Underwood and his staff have built. He saw it coming, and that’s why he took a chance on an inconsistent, dwindling program two and a half years ago.

“He took a lot of criticism coming in when we’re losing a lot, you know how fans can be,” Dosunmu said. “But, in reality, he’s one of the best coaches in the world. Not only his ability to coach on the court but his ability to get the best out of players. Getting them to play hard and get them to understand the sacrifices it takes to win.”

While the vision never faded, Underwood knows his first two seasons at Illinois weren’t the smoothest. His offensive sets and defensive rotations presented challenges to his players, but now the Illini have the third-best scoring margin in the Big Ten.

Underwood didn’t achieve that metric by himself, which is why he has such high regard for his staff, including assistant coaches Orlando Antigua, Ron “Chin” Coleman and Stephen Gentry.

Athletic Director Josh Whitman sees the vision as well which is why he announced on March 2 Underwood and his staff received contract extensions through 2026 and 2022, respectively.

“There’s been a lot of work,” Underwood said. “There’s been speed bumps along the way, no question. But, I feel great about the guys in the locker room. I feel unbelievable about the guys on our staff. I say it all the time, every head coach is only as good as the people he surrounds himself with. I’m very blessed in that area.”

Having a cohesive staff and players are things Underwood prides his program on. Strengthening the team’s culture was one of Underwood’s most important tasks and Dosunmu believes that has been achieved. The sophomore guard says this team is “one big family.”

The Illini know this still isn’t the peak of their program. Underwood said he came here to win multiple Big Ten championships and make his team an NCAA tournament contender each year.

With the regular season finishing up Sunday and the Big Ten tournament next Wednesday, now is the time to really hit the gas.

“This group has continued to work,” Underwood said. “They’ve really bought into that piece of it. Whether it’s the weight room, film, individual workouts on top of practice, continuing to buy into getting better individually and as a team.”

“The other part of that is having fun,” Underwood said. “When you get to March, it’s about cutting it loose and not holding anything back. You don’t have 26 more games. You get to a point where if you lose you go home. This is what you talk about, this is what you work for and this team has really bought into that.”

@gabby_h11

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