Illinois basketball is coming off a Final Four appearance and has recently hosted several of the nation's top high school prospects. The writer says its talented incoming freshman class and returning players reflect the program's rise under Brad Underwood.
The writer contrasts the program's current position with multiple consecutive seasons without an NCAA Tournament appearance in the early to mid-2010s, when Illinois also missed out on in-state recruits Jalen Brunson and Cliff Alexander. Athletic director Josh Whitman fired John Groce and hired Underwood; the writer says Underwood's earlier success at Stephen F. Austin made the appointment appealing.
