The Illinois Fighting Illini put on an undeniable clinic as they blew past the VCU Rams and punched their ticket to the Sweet 16.
After the 21-point victory, the Illini were rightfully celebrating their victory, but head coach Brad Underwood made sure to let the world know that they weren't done quite yet.
All year, Underwood has had his eyes on the prize: the National Championship. Last night, he made it clear to everyone that he truly believes his Illini are still in the fight to win it all, especially after that dominant performance.
"It's why I came here. It's why I'm still doing it," Underwood said. "That's what drives me. That's everything that drives me. The first day I feel like we can't win a national championship, they need to hire somebody else, or I need to retire or go do that. But we're in that mix."
Brad Underwood and his players are eying the National Championship
Underwood's excitement and intensity were palpable as he gave the brief interview after the game. To put it lightly, Illinois fans should eat up every word their head coach just said and use it as fuel to carry their team through the Sweet 16 and onto the Elite Eight.
The Illini players expressed similar sentiments after the game, making sure to not revel in the glory of success for too long before turning their attention to the next game and, hopefully, a couple more matchups to follow.
"We came here for a reason because we believe in this program, and we're going to continue to control what we can, and that's how much we work at it and with what intensity we play," Andrej Stojakovic said in the postgame press conference.
Underwood is obviously bought in, the players have obviously bought in, and now, it's time for the rest of the world to buy into the idea that Illinois is here to stay.
Asked #illini coach Brad Underwood what it means to make Sweet Sixteens a more regular occurence with #illini.
— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) March 22, 2026
"It's why I came here. It's why I'm still doing it. ...That's what drives me. That's everything that drives me. The first day I feel like we can't win a national… pic.twitter.com/x26QmkzLg3
Of course, the road to the National Championship will be anything but easy. Up next, the Fighting Illini have to take on the No. 2-seed Houston Cougars in a showdown of two powerhouse programs this season.
However, with how Underwood and his players are talking, there shouldn't be a doubt in any fan's mind that Illinois could pull off the upset.