Illinois basketball suffered a frustrating defeat to end their season on Sunday. The No. 6 seed Illini made it close at several points but never appeared to make a serious threat to overcome No. 3 Kentucky in the Round of 32 at the Fiserv Forum on Sunday.
Illinois was blown out 88-65 in the quarterfinal of the Big Ten Tournament on March 14. Despite the lopsided ending, they earned the No. 6 seed and defeated No. 11 Xavier 86-73 on Friday.
A tough loss for Illinois Basketball
Unfortunately for Illinois, they will finish the 2024-25 campaign with a 22-13 record. Kentucky jumped out to a 25-13 lead with 8:34 remaining in the first half. The Illini closed some of that gap, making it a 37-32 contest at halftime.
The Wildcats started fast in the second half, widening their lead to 70-54 with 9:32 remaining in the second half. Illinois would come within six points with 1:36 remaining, but a layup by Kentucky forward Andrew Carr would kill Illinois’ momentum.
Kentucky would hang on to win 84-75 and advance to the Sweet 16 in head coach Mark Pope’s first season with the program.
Freshman guard Kasparas Jackucionis struggled from beyond the arc, going 2-of-9 on three-point shooting. He finished with 13 points, five rebounds, six turnovers, and two assists. Junior Kylan Boswell led the team in scoring with 23 points.
Despite being a lower seed, the Illini entered Sunday’s contest as 2.5-point favorites, per ESPN BET. Unfortunately for Illinois, the team suffered a Brad Underwood special. Since Underwood took over the program in 2017, Illinois has only made it past the Round of 32 one time, when they made the Elite Eight in 2024.
Brad Underwood blasted on social media after Sunday’s loss
Fans on social media vented their frustrations with Underwood and Jakucionis. Many blamed Underwood’s roster construction and choice of rotation for the loss to Kentucky.
How Brad Underwood coaches every game. pic.twitter.com/e3Ha5gQQwR
— Cole Douglas Claybourn (@ColeClaybourn) March 23, 2025
“Won’t go anywhere without a coaching change. Brad has proven himself over and over to not be able to adapt, instill discipline, and win the games that matter. Sadly tho will be 2-3 years of decline before donors will fund buyout. Wish Texas took him instead of miller,” wrote a fan.
“Under Brad Underwood, it’s easy to say it seems like Illinois will continue to be back in these positions, but it’s going to be another offseason of questions. This year’s team didn’t have enough pieces that were always contributing,” posted another.
“Worst coach of the year Candidate Brad Underwood was calling for no fouls with 80 seconds to play. This guy either had the under big or is absolutely clueless. Now he’s calling timeouts with 8 secs. Illinois needs to move on from Orange Hair Dye Brad,” wrote a fan.
“I really get sick to my stomach angry seeing Tyler underwood on the Illini bench. Here’s a guy who has no reason to be a coach on a power 5 team. This is why I also cannot stand Brad Underwood. Always had his favorites and played players that didn’t deserve to play,” suggested another.
“Does anyone actually think KJ is a good player? And that Brad Underwood is a good coach,” asked a fan.
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Smoke surrounds Illinois Basketball coach Brad Underwood and major college basketball program
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