The buy-in that Illinois head coach Brad Underwood got out of his players this season was visible as the Fighting Illini surged through the regular season and flew through the NCAA Tournament to their first Final Four appearance in over two decades (the first of Underwood's career).
While the Illini weren't able to punch their ticket to the National Championship game, narrowly losing to the UConn Huskies in the Final Four, it hasn't been all bad news in April.
In fact, the Illinois Fighting Illini are one of just six Power Five teams that have yet to lose a player to the transfer portal, which opened just two days ago.
Brad Underwood loses 0 transfers in first 2 days
Yes, it has only been two days since the men's basketball transfer portal opened, but the first few days are when you see the most entries from players looking to leave their program for greener pastures.
To that point, just yesterday, the list included eight total teams, but the Texas Longhorns and even the National Championship-winning Michigan Wolverines each lost a player to the portal, removing their names from the list.
Teams with 0 transfer portal losses:
- Virginia Cavaliers
- Arizona Wildcats
- UConn Huskies
- Michigan State Spartans
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- Iowa Hawkeyes
Of course, this doesn't mean that the Illini roster is going to look the exact same next season, with players exhausting their eligibility and stars like freshman Keaton Wagler likely heading to the 2026 NBA Draft.
However, retaining the rest of the roster is a massive achievement for Underwood and his staff, further proving that his team believes in what he's selling.
Also read: Illinois basketball 2026 Transfer Portal tracker: Brad Underwood's title run starts now
On the other side of the coin, the Fighting Illini also have yet to bring in a recruit from the transfer portal, but as more players enter their names, the more recruiting opportunities present themselves to Underwood.
The transfer portal officially closes on April 21, and during the window, players can decide to officially enter their names in the hat or not. After the portal closes, coaches and programs are allowed to continue communicating and recruiting players who have decided to transfer.