The University of Illinois men’s basketball team has seen a bit of a resurgence over the past number of years. After the hiring of former SF Austin HC Brad Underwood back in 2017, this once proud program has been making waves throughout college basketball on a yearly basis. Whether it’s the multiple conference titles that they’ve won, or the various NCAA Tournaments that they’ve been a part of; this team has surely shown that they are on the right track for greatness.

Underwood has been a breath of fresh air for a school that hasn’t seen very much success since their title run in 2005. They love him in Champaign; so much so, that the school just signed him to a long-term extension to remain with the program;

The original Every Day Guy is here to stay.

Read more about Coach Underwood’s extension: https://t.co/kBgwMwWv55 pic.twitter.com/d6uJqEJL1Y

— Illinois Men’s Basketball (@IlliniMBB) May 13, 2025

Underwood, for those of you who are unaware, has compiled a 165-101 (.620) record during his time with the Fighting Illini. During that stretch, he would go on to lead his team to one regular season championship, two conference tournament championships, and five NCAA Tournament appearances. These five tournament appearances would include one trip to the Elite Eight in 2024, which is the farthest this school has made it during ‘March Madness’ since 2005.

His new contract extension, according to 247sports.com, will reportedly add three years to his already existing deal; tying him to the program through the 2030-31 season. It will involve an annual salary that starts at $4.4 million per year, but will also include “retention incentives” every July that will (hopefully) help make Underwood not want to leave.

This, my friends, is a MAJOR STEP for a team that is on the rise. In years past, since the Bruce Weber days; this program hasn’t seen the success that Underwood has brought to the table. He has proven to be a top-level recruiter, bringing in some of the biggest names from all walks of like (Terrence Shannon Jr., Kofi Cockburn, etc…).

Underwood has proven that he belongs at this school. The only problem though is……he needs to bring in a better X’s and O’s guy to help as an assistant. I have written TOO MANY ARTICLES over the years complaining about the basketball aspects of this team, and how they pissed away their chances in the tournament (UConn, Kentucky, etc…). This man has proven to be successful……but there are just some aspects of his coaching style that need to SHAPE UP!

I’m happy that he’s back, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the navy and orange. I just need SOMETHING TO CHANGE come tournament time, so that this team doesn’t pee down their leg again. But what do I know? I’m just a guy from the Midwest, with a beer and a laptop, trying to make sense of this world.