Illinois Coach Brad Underwood Addresses Team's Defensive Struggles

Underwood outlines specific issues and how Illinois plans to fix their defensive woes ahead of key matchup with Oregon

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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Illinois basketball coach Brad Underwood candidly addressed his team's recent defensive struggles, acknowledging they have been unable to take away anything from opposing offenses. Underwood said the Illini need to get back to their 'daily vitamins' - the fundamental defensive principles they have excelled at in the past, like contesting shots and blocking out. With a big game against Oregon coming up, Underwood is focused on simplifying things and having his team focus on the basics to shore up their defense.

Why it matters

Illinois has been one of the better defensive teams in the Big Ten in recent years, so their recent struggles on that end of the floor have been concerning. Underwood knows they need to fix these issues quickly with a tough stretch of games coming up, including matchups with Michigan and Oregon. Shoring up the defense will be crucial if Illinois wants to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

The details

Underwood pointed to specific issues, like the Illini giving up too many lobs, layups and 3-pointers. He said they've slipped in areas they've typically excelled at, like contesting shots and blocking out. Underwood believes simplifying things and getting back to their 'daily vitamins' - the fundamental defensive principles they've drilled - will be key to getting the defense back on track.

  • Illinois suffered a loss to Nebraska in mid-December, but then went on a 12-game win streak after seemingly turning a corner on defense.
  • The defense then fell apart in losses to Michigan State and Wisconsin.
  • After getting some key players back from injury, the defense was firing on all cylinders again, but then struggled mightily in a loss to UCLA.
  • Ahead of a big game against Michigan, Underwood hoped the team would be prepared, but the Wolverines bullied the Illini, shooting over 50% from the field.

The players

Brad Underwood

The head coach of the Illinois Fighting Illini basketball team, who is tasked with fixing the team's defensive issues.

Kylan Boswell

An Illinois player who returned from injury and helped the team's defense improve for a stretch.

Andrej Stojakovic

Another Illinois player who returned from injury and provided a boost to the team's defense.

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What they’re saying

“They took the belt off and beat our behinds with it”

— Brad Underwood, Head Coach (The Field of 68)

“Simple is better sometimes. I think the one thing we can't get away from is your base, your daily vitamins, as we call it. You have to do it every day.”

— Brad Underwood, Head Coach (si.com)

“It's scouting-report mistakes. You can't give up lobs, layups and threes. Can't give them all up. And that's what we're doing. We've been really good. We've been absolutely some of the best at contesting shots and our block-out rates, and there's a laundry list of things that we talk about a lot that we've slipped in. So we've got to get back to some of that.”

— Brad Underwood, Head Coach (si.com)

What’s next

With a big game against Oregon coming up on Tuesday night, Underwood is focused on simplifying things and having his team focus on the basics to shore up their defense.

The takeaway

Illinois has been one of the better defensive teams in the Big Ten in recent years, so their recent struggles on that end of the floor have been concerning. Underwood knows they need to fix these issues quickly, and is emphasizing a return to the fundamental defensive principles they've excelled at in the past in order to get the defense back on track.