Brad Underwood isn't letting anything stop him from getting Illinois back to the Final Four

It has been a long time since Illinois felt the joy of making it to a Final Four. Actually, 21 years to be exact, and under Brad Underwood, the Illini finally returned to the elite game but fell short of the National Championship. If you ask Brad Underwood about taking his team back, his answer is golden.

At the beginning of the season, it didn't seem like Illinois would do much more than it typically does in the NCAA Tournament: make it through the first round, probably the second, but then not get much further.

It wasn't until later in conference play that Illini looked like a dangerous team, and that Final Four run was one that surprised a lot of people, but Underwood isn't reminiscing too much about it. Actually, he is already thinking about taking his team there again.

In an interview with college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein, Underwood was asked how often he thinks about taking Illinois back to the Final Four.

"A lot," Underwood quickly said. "I'm not gonna lie, a lot. There are places where you get there, and you wonder if it will ever happen again; this is not one of those places."

Underwood's belief in his team getting back to the Final Four isn't surprising, and neither is the fact that he thinks about it a lot. In order to get back to those heights, Underwood has to be focused and set a goal for his team, but there is one reason he believes the Illini could get back as soon as next season.

Retention is name of Illinois' game when it comes to returning to the Final Four

Illinois doesn't have the top recruiting class going into this next season. Underwood only brought in one player from the transfer portal, so they certainly didn't win the transfer portal game. However, there is something Illinois does have that probably beats out just about every other team in the country.

Retention.

"We didn't win the No. 1 recruiting battle in the country; we didn't have the No. 1 transfer portal group in the country, but I'll argue with you, we might have the No.1 retention group in the country," Underwood said. "To me, that's one of the most important things."

Sure, the Illini lost leading scorer Keaton Wagler and do-it-all man Kylan Boswell, but Underwood was able to retain more than half of his regular starting lineup, which included Andrej Stojakovic, David Mirkovic, and Tomislav Ivisic. Wagler and Boswell, while elite players, can be replaced, and Underwood did that through his recruiting class and the transfer portal.

Retaining those big three was huge for Illinois' chances at getting back to the Final Four next season, and even making it one game further to the National Championship. Underwood knows the group he has coming back, and it's a group he said he had the most fun coaching than he ever had before, and sometimes that can be the difference-maker.

If there is one thing Underwood wants, it is to get his team back to the Final Four and, this time, finish the job.

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