CHAMPAIGN — Brad Underwood inherited a 27-win team at Stephen F. Austin when he got his first opportunity as a head coach ahead of the 2013-14 season. The Lumberjacks might have graduated some key players from that squad, but Underwood had two players — Jacob Parker and Thomas Walkup — that became the building blocks of three straight NCAA tournament teams.
The situation at Oklahoma State in 2016-17 was different. At least in some ways. The Cowboys went 12-20 the season before Underwood took control of the program, but he had upperclassmen with NCAA tournament experience, a leader in Phil Forte and a lightning quick point guard in Jawun Evans.