Illinois Basketball: Coach Brad Underwood Frustrated After Loss to Maryland
Illinois men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood expressed frustration following the team’s 91-70 loss to Maryland on Thursday night. The absence of center Tomislav Ivišić, who was described as “deathly sick,” contributed to the team’s struggles on both ends of the court. Maryland, winless on the road prior to this game, capitalized on Illinois’ issues, including 16 turnovers.
This marked Illinois’ (13-6, 5-4 Big Ten) first instance of back-to-back losses since the 2022-2023 season, breaking a 58-game streak without consecutive defeats. Just days earlier, Illinois narrowly lost to Michigan State, 80-78.
Free-Throw Woes
Coach Underwood highlighted a troubling trend in Illinois’ free-throw performance, noting a significant decline since entering conference play.
“We were No. 1 in [free-throw rate] during non-league play,” Underwood stated. “Now we’re dead last. I’ve called the [Big Ten] league office about it. I have no explanation for why this has happened, but I am more than frustrated.”
Upcoming Challenge Against Northwestern
Illinois will face the Northwestern Wildcats (12-7, 3-5 Big Ten) next in a critical game. Northwestern defeated Illinois in their first conference matchup in December, and Illinois is aiming to avoid a third consecutive loss to the Wildcats dating back to last season.
Underwood acknowledged Northwestern as a strong opponent and described Welsh-Ryan Arena as a challenging venue. Northwestern is coming off a 79-70 home win against Indiana and has gone 2-2 in its last four games.
Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET in Champaign, where Illinois holds a dominant 73-15 all-time home record against Northwestern. The Fighting Illini have not lost to the Wildcats at State Farm Center since it was renamed from Assembly Hall over a decade ago.
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