Brad Underwood, Illinois Men's Basketball Head Coach

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That's BetterHelpHELP.com slash grow. Hey coach, how you doing? Well, I love hearing that Morgan Wall and I'm doing great.

Thank you. Absolutely. I'm sure after the victory tonight, this afternoon against Moorhead State, that's what was blaring in the locker room, right?

Well, it was the least in my head set. There's no doubt. No, just he's boy is he good in concert. Man, I saw him in Wrigley Field last year. That was an all-time great. Well, I was going to say at Wrigley Field?

Did you hang out at Wrigleyville before you went in? Well, isn't that a must? Absolutely.

Oh, good. Absolutely. Had the whole family there enjoying a festive night. Great concert. Absolutely. Well, certainly. I know you're in a festive mood as well as your team. You guys beat Moorhead State 85 to 69 this afternoon.

You're going to move on to take on Duquesne. We'll get to that momentarily. Not the fastest of starts.

A little non-all run by Moorhead. Was that just jitters at the beginning? What were the guys doing? What were they thinking? No, I think it was a little jitters. I think it was a little maybe just a little tight.

I don't know. It was not something that I enjoyed very much. I thought we settled down after that. We ended up being up one and a half. It's kind of a 10-point swing there. We played okay after that.

It was just a really kind of a unique funk we were in. Give Moorhead credit. They're a good basketball team. Without a shadow of a doubt, we're being joined by Illinois head coach Brad Underwood. You guys ended the season going ahead plowing through everybody here with the Big Ten.

You picked up this victory. What are you noticing with the team at this point of the season? Do you feel you all have have clicked and peaked at the right time?

No, I do. I think we're healthy one. We were not throughout.

We kind of had three seasons and one this year. Then I think the other piece of that is when you get your best players playing really well, that helps. Terence Shannon was elite in the Big Ten tournament again today.

Marcus DeMoss has a triple double today. So you're your best player. You're stepping forward and playing extremely well. That makes things easier.

You still got to go out and guard. I thought the second half today was really solid. Then we're getting really good bench play from guys like Dane Deja, Luke Goody.

All those guys have been instrumental in helping us win here down the stretch. Brad Underwood is joining us here at CBS Sports Radio, the head coach of Illinois. You talk about Marcus DeMoss.

This man had the first triple double that we've seen in the tournament since some guy named John Morant. What was his response when he learned that in the afternoon? He's very low-key. He's very stoic. He's not a real emotional player.

He had a smile on his face and yet he's so appreciative of his teammates. He doesn't get that if they don't make baskets. We run a lot of offense through him.

He's the guy that distributes. He takes what the game gives him. Triple doubles are great, but they take a lot of help from your teammates. Without a shadow of a doubt, as more people start to watch Illinois, as you guys move on through this tournament with Duquesne up next, what would you say about your squad for anyone who's going to be watching for the first time against Duquesne? I think we're a little different. We're a team that maybe plays without a non-traditional point guard. We kind of start and play positionless. We're a team that spaces the floor. I think we also can be very versatile. Dane Dasia came in today off the bench, was 9 for 9.

6'10", 6'9", 270 pounds. But again, it's a team that is old. We're a team that is mature.

We're very unselfish. We've got a couple of great players and they're playing great. Coach Brad Underwood is here with us, Coach of Illinois.

You got Duquesne up next. You have a chance to go out there and prepare and look at all the tape. What have you learned already about what you're going to face against Duquesne, especially what they did today?

A lot of people didn't expect this W against BYU. Well, they're very, very tough. They're extremely well coached.

Coach Dambrot does an unbelievable job. They're a top 40, top 30 defense. They're very handy and then they've got two great guards. Those guards dominated the game today. Their role players step up and make big plays.

They're very defined in their roles. I really like their team. I think they're tough and they're gritty. They make plays and really took BYU away from what they want to do. They control tempo and we've got to be able to make shots and then we've got to be able to handle those two guards. Well, Coach, let's talk about what you've been able to do since taking over the reins in 2017.

Having to go through that COVID year, it felt like COVID years, then getting back into the tournament and advancing into the second round those first two years that you went and now you're on another run. How have you seen things change, especially with this veteran type squad through adversity and all the ups and downs just through life, not just basketball? Well, Illinois is a really good job and I've got great administrative support. I've got a great athletic director. We've got incredible facilities. We just moved into a new practice facility. We sell out every night and so it's a program that has great passion and great support.

That helps. You play in the Big Ten, you're going to get tested. This group is resilient.

They're tough. We set out last year. We were a very, very young team this year.

We went out through the portal and we got older. This team is together. They're connected. It's as fun a group as I've had coaching it. Let's see where it takes us. Coach, I'm going to let you put the bow or the cherry on top.

We got a lot of folks from Illinois who are tuned in right now. What do you want to say? What message do you want to share as you guys have now advanced and move on here in the tournament? Well, one game at a time. Let's enjoy it.

Let's go have fun. We'll see what Saturday brings. We've got a great Duquesne team.

They're watching a special group of players and I hope they enjoy it. No doubt about it, Coach. Listen, take some advice from JR. Play the Morgan Wallen in the locker room before they play guaranteed victory, okay?

If it's guaranteed, I'm playing it. Thanks, JR. Call from mom. Answer it.

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Subject to credit approval, no minimum purchase required, minimum monthly payment, down payment, tax and delivery may be required. See store for details. Old Man Winter here. If I had it my way, it would stay winter all year long. Short days, wind chill, black ice, and a good polar vortex.

Heaven. Wait, is it getting warm in here? Your cold snap is over, Old Man Winter. Spring has arrived.

Spring. Spring is here, which means it's the perfect time to get away in the Hyundai you've always wanted. Visit the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event where you can get great deals on all of our award-winning Hyundai models like the tech-filled Tucson and Kona as well as the spacious Palisade.

Enjoy wherever you go with the peace of mind that comes with America's best warranty and three years or 36,000 miles of complimentary maintenance. But hurry in, these deals won't last. Add more joy to your journey at the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event. Now get 0% APR or up to 1500 bonus cash on the Hyundai Tucson. Now during the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event. Offers end soon. Call 562-314-4603 for details.