INDIANAPOLIS – The Illini have finally reached a high that fans were starving for since 2005.
Under the bright lights at Lucas Oil Stadium, Illinois prepares for the moment that the entire season has led up to: the Final Four.
“There’s a reason that we got here, and you don’t wanna get here and just fall short,” said veteran guard Kylan Boswell. “Having that in the back of our head, being a motivating factor I think is the biggest thing.”
To add even more fuel to the fire, the Illini are searching for
their get-back against the Huskies after the 74-61 loss at Madison Square Garden in late November, and of course, the Elite Eight loss in 2024 that saw UConn score 30 points unanswered.
Yes, UConn has won its last seven Big Ten games. Yes, UConn is 12-1 in the Final Four.
“They’re a team that won’t go away,” freshman guard Keaton Wagler said. “They’re gonna fight till the end.”
But if every single Illini that steps on the court Saturday night has a stronger desire to win than the man in front of him, UConn may be in trouble.
With player departures and arrivals each new season, it’s tough to reshape a roster’s chemistry in just a single offseason. However, that transition becomes seamless when a guy like Brad Underwood is in charge; he’s done it consistently, year-in and year-out, for more than five years.
“I hope I’m not known for wins and losses,” said Illinois head coach Brad Underwood. “I hope I’m known for impacting people’s lives and creating memories.”
Boswell highlighted just how valuable it is to have a leader of men like Underwood.
“I think coach Underwood will continue, and has done so far since I’ve been here, just to be able to put a great group of guys together who genuinely love and care for one another,” Boswell said. “I think that’s just been the biggest advantage that this team’s had for sure.”
Before a recruit joins the squad, he must pass Underwood’s “personality test”. By making sure every one of his guys possessed a certain level of competitive fire. Underwood successfully built a group full of winners and turned them into best friends.
When you recruit players with that type of drive, you have the luxury of turning a bench-warming Jake Davis into a starter and an X-factor with not only his shooting ability, but more importantly, his work ethic and effort on the court.
“We feed off of that,” Boswell said. “Especially me, as one of my closest friends on the team.”
But it’s not just Jake. Everyone wants to win, and everyone feeds off each other’s drive.
This year specifically, the Illini hit the jackpot with their freshmen, Keaton Wagler and David Mirkovic: Both are motivated to win. Both are eager to learn. Both are gifted players who have elevated into becoming major factor in Illinois’ success this season.
But if the personality tests didn’t exist, Underwood probably would’ve gone in a different direction.
“I don’t think this program will ever have anybody with egos, and people who are just straight a-holes in that sense,” Boswell said. “You won’t survive in this program if that’s your personality.”
In their fourth year in Orange and Blue, A.J. Redd and Ty Rodgers have seen many faces come in and out.
“Me and Ty have been here for four years together,” Redd said. “That’s my best friend.”
Having played for Underwood for quite some time already, those two knew the core principles of the program and got the new guys up to speed with the culture, all while keeping morale high.
“We try to carry down a lot of the cultural things, traditions,” Redd said. “Little stuff that we do every day just to make it fun and make it enjoyable for everybody.”
But even the little stuff makes a difference, and it certainly has this season.
“Normally, you might have a couple guys who might not be completely bought into it,” Redd said. “But I think this year, from top to bottom, everybody’s completely bought in, and it’s made a difference, and it’s part of the reason we’ve been able to make a run this year.”
The Illini are a passionate unit. A unit that’s as motivated as can be. It’s translated to wins in March so far, but will it be enough to take down Hurley’s Huskies? Can the Illini dig even deeper and find resilience that’ll take them one step closer to a bigger dream?
“There’s a reason that we got here, and you don’t wanna get here and just fall short,” Boswell said. “Having that in the back of our head, being a motivating factor, I think, is the biggest thing.”
It’s gonna be a dog fight.
