Latest news with #BradUnderwood
USA Today
10-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Tennessee basketball to play neutral-site games against Big Ten opponent
Tennessee men's basketball will play Illinois during the 2025-26 season in a neutral-site game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The Vols and Fighting Illini will play on Dec. 6 and the contest will be televised by ESPN's family of networks. A game time and broadcast information will be announced at a later date. "Our program is looking forward to this matchup with Illinois," Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. "We have great respect for (head coach) Brad Underwood and the Illini, and we know playing them well help prepare us for SEC action. The opportunity to compete in Nashville, a city filled with diehard Tennessee fans is very special and we can't wait to see Vol Nation pack Bridgestone Arena." More: Tennessee to play in 2025 Broadway Block Party The two schools have met in each of the last two seasons and have agreed to play a neutral-site game in Chicago, Illinois during the 2027-28 season. A date and venue will be announced at a later date. Tennessee swept a home-and-home series against Illinois the last two seasons. The Vols have won four of their previous five meetings between the two schools. Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Good Morning, Illini Nation: Where things stand
Apr. 21—The transfer portal officially closes at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. That doesn't mean players in the portal have to decide on a new college basketball home, but if they're going to leave that option open they have to be in it before Wednesday. Illinois has lost a handful of players to the portal, including two players that started during the 2024-25 season in Tre White (Kansas) and Morez Johnson Jr. (Michigan). The only addition the Illini have made so far has been pairing returning starter Tomislav Ivisic with his twin brother, Arkansas transfer Zvonimir, as Illinois fans not so patiently wait for more. Advertisement The only players on the Illini roster that haven't announced their intentions for the 2025-26 season with the portal window about to close are Ben Humrichous and Jason Jakstys. Illinois coach Brad Underwood wants Humrichous to return for another season (taking advantage of the Diego Pavia rule for a bonus year). Whether the veteran forward does so is dependent on accepting a different role (i.e. a smaller one) from this past season following the addition of both Zvonimir Ivisic and 19-year-old Montenegrin David Mirkovic in the frontcourt. Not to mention Ty Rodgers' decision to return to Champaign. Jakstys, of course, sat out the 2024-25 season in a planned redshirt. Every indication is he'll return, but college basketball in 2025 means the assumption is a player won't be back. An assumption rooted in the fact there's more than 2,200 players in the portal with two days to go.
Miami Herald
14-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Illinois' Brad Underwood agrees to contract extension through 2031
Illinois has rewarded men's basketball coach Brad Underwood for five consecutive NCAA Tournament berths and six straight 20-win seasons with a three-year contract extension that takes him through the 2030-31 season. Athletic director Josh Whitman announced Tuesday that Underwood's new deal also boosts his salary to $4.4 million for the upcoming season. The extension, which must be approved by the school's Board of Trustees on May 22, also features annual retention bonuses (starting with $1.15 million on July 1, 2026), a one-time signing bonus and multiple performance bonuses. The 61-year-old Underwood has produced a 165-101 record (.620) in eight years at Illinois. The Fighting Illini are one of four Division I schools that enter the 2025-26 season with at least six consecutive 20-win regular seasons. The Illini also have won two Big Ten tournament titles (2021 and 2024) and the 2022 Big Ten regular-season crown during Underwood's tenure. The 2024 squad reached the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight - the program's deepest run since the 2005 team played in the NCAA championship game. "It remains an honor to serve as the head coach at the University of Illinois," Underwood said in a statement. "Every night when I walk out that State Farm Center tunnel and see the sold-out crowd and am greeted by the Orange Krush, I feel that I'm the most fortunate coach in all of college basketball. The tremendous passion of our fans is felt everywhere, both at home and on the road. The support we receive from our fans and donors is truly unmatched. I look forward to many more exciting years ahead as we all continue to work relentlessly in pursuing a national championship for the Fighting Illini." Once Underwood's new contract runs out in 2031, he'll have the opportunity to earn up to four one-year extensions based on the program's performance. --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2023 - All Rights Reserved
Reuters
14-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Illinois' Brad Underwood agrees to contract extension through 2031
May 14 - Illinois has rewarded men's basketball coach Brad Underwood for five consecutive NCAA Tournament berths and six straight 20-win seasons with a three-year contract extension that takes him through the 2030-31 season. Athletic director Josh Whitman announced Tuesday that Underwood's new deal also boosts his salary to $4.4 million for the upcoming season. The extension, which must be approved by the school's Board of Trustees on May 22, also features annual retention bonuses (starting with $1.15 million on July 1, 2026), a one-time signing bonus and multiple performance bonuses. The 61-year-old Underwood has produced a 165-101 record (.620) in eight years at Illinois. The Fighting Illini are one of four Division I schools that enter the 2025-26 season with at least six consecutive 20-win regular seasons. The Illini also have won two Big Ten tournament titles (2021 and 2024) and the 2022 Big Ten regular-season crown during Underwood's tenure. The 2024 squad reached the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight - the program's deepest run since the 2005 team played in the NCAA championship game. "It remains an honor to serve as the head coach at the University of Illinois," Underwood said in a statement. "Every night when I walk out that State Farm Center tunnel and see the sold-out crowd and am greeted by the Orange Krush, I feel that I'm the most fortunate coach in all of college basketball. The tremendous passion of our fans is felt everywhere, both at home and on the road. The support we receive from our fans and donors is truly unmatched. I look forward to many more exciting years ahead as we all continue to work relentlessly in pursuing a national championship for the Fighting Illini." Once Underwood's new contract runs out in 2031, he'll have the opportunity to earn up to four one-year extensions based on the program's performance. --Field Level Media
Associated Press
14-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Illinois rewards football coach Bret Bielema and hoops coach Brad Underwood with 6-year extensions
Illinois has locked in its football and men's basketball coaches for the long term, agreeing to six-year contracts with Bret Bielema and Brad Underwood. Illinois rewarded Bielema for turning around its struggling football program, and Underwood for an eight-year run that includes five NCAA Tournament appearances and a trip to the Elite Eight. Both deals were announced Tuesday. Bielema's deal runs through 2030, while Underwood is locked in through the 2030-31 season. The contracts are pending approval by the university's board of trustees on May 22. Bielema's annual salary would begin at $7.7 million, while Underwood's would start at $4.4 million. Both coaches would be eligible for four one-year extensions if performance benchmarks are met, as well as annual retention incentives starting next July 1. For Bielema, the retention incentives would start at $700,000 and increase each year. For Underwood, they would begin at $1.15 million. In four seasons in Champaign, Bielema has led Illinois to a 28-22 record and an 18-18 mark in Big Ten play. The Illini matched a school record for wins in 2024 when they went 10-3. They beat South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl and became just the fifth team in the program's 133 years to reach double-digit victories. 'Over the last four seasons, our program has been built on tough, smart, dependable people in every facet: from our players, to our coaches and staff, to our administration,' Bielema said in a statement. 'I am fortunate to work every day with an athletic director that fully believes in our football program and a coaching staff that fully believes in our players.' Underwood praised his program's 'alignment' with athletic director Josh Whitman, the administration and trustees. 'That foundation created the environment where — led by all the tremendous players we've had along with a group of talented assistant coaches and a dedicated staff — we have been able to achieve success,' he said. Bielema, who led Wisconsin to three Rose Bowls before a disappointing run at Arkansas, replaced the fired Lovie Smith after the 2020 season. He got a six-year contract at the time with a salary starting at $4.2 million to return to the Big Ten and his home state. Illinois had nine straight losing seasons before Bielema was hired. The Illini went 5-7 in his first year before winning eight games in 2022. They went 5-7 in 2023 before bouncing back last year. Illinois won 10 games for the first time since 2001. The Illini were ranked by the College Football Playoff selection committee a program-record four straight weeks and appeared in the AP poll 11 times, finishing at No. 16. Underwood is 165-101 overall at Illinois and 92-66 in Big Ten play, with three league championships. He and Lou Henson are the only Illini coaches with at least five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Illinois was also on track to make the 2020 tournament that was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Illini won 22 games last season after losing five starters and the top eight scorers from a team that reached the Elite Eight in 2024. Underwood has a 274-128 record in 12 seasons as a head coach, including three at Stephen F. Austin and one at Oklahoma State. ___ AP college football:
