2017 began a new era of Illinois Men’s Basketball. Coming off his only season with Oklahoma State where he led the Cowboys to the NCAA Tournament, Brad Underwood signed a long term deal to build the University of Illinois Basketball program back to the prominent state it was once in.
Underwood did not have the luxury of inheriting a roster beaming with talent like he did with Oklahoma State, but he was able to inherit a very talented freshman in Trent Frazier. Throughout the preseason and the season alike, Illinois fans were shown a coaching style that they had not seen in eons.