The Illinois basketball team is just days away from our first Final Four appearance in over two decades.
The memories are still pretty fresh from the Illini loss to North Carolina in that 2005 national championship. That defeat hurt badly, and in 2024, Illinois had another chance at getting to the mountaintop. The result was a 25-point loss in the Elite Eight at the hands of UConn.
A rematch against the Huskies is what is on the docket. The Final Four stage is one that is a rarity for the program, but Brad Underwood came to Champaign to help get us here and to reach the pinnacle of the game.
In a sendoff speech, Underwood talked to a crowd of Illinois fans before departing for Indianapolis. The speech was a good one, talking about the dedication and heart the team has. The love for each other. But the old ball coach ended the speech in the best way he could.
Seven words summed up everything.
“We are going there to kick ass.”
Indianapolis bound.
— Scott Richey (@srrichey) April 1, 2026
“We’re going there to kick ass.”@IlliniMBB’s @CoachUnderwood addresses #Illini fans before the team hit the road for the Final Four. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/c73kBjkN0H
Illinois hasn’t had energy like this in a long time. Underwood is loose and ready to win some big games for the Orange and Blue.
Illinois basketball is going to need to put our money with our mouth is in the Final Four
While I love the mentality of Underwood and what he said to the Illinois crowd, it will also need to be backed up. We can't go into the Final Four against the Huskies and lay an egg.
Illinois is going into this Final Four matchup against a team that knows Underwood. Dan Hurley knows how to play us on both ends of the court. They beat us by 25 points in the Elite Eight two years ago, and they took us down by 13 points back in November.
I love the all-in style by Underwood. We are either going to fly high into the sky or sink with the ship. Regardless, we do it together. We are a team, the players, coaches, and fans.