Brad Underwood completely turned it around in half a decade

Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports Brad Underwood’s first game with the Illini was an exhibition game against Eastern Illinois.

EIU won 80-67.

It was a shocking loss that didn’t bode well for the Underwood era, but thankfully we’ve come a long way since then.

Let’s take a look at the Illini back then and now.

Then

Preseason Ranking: NR

Years Since Last Tournament: 5

Team Distribution: 4 4-Stars 6 3-Stars

The 2017-18 Illini finished in the bottom three in the Big Ten, ending with a 4-14 conference record and a 14-18 mark overall. The team was led in scoring by Leron Black and young freshman Trent Frazier.

One of the biggest problems on that team was a lack of size as the leading rebounder was Black, who…