On today’s episode, Jon Rothstein sits down with Illinois head coach Brad Underwood for a wide-ranging conversation on the Illini’s strong start and the evolution of his program. Underwood discusses his daily routine, how he views Illinois as a destination job, and what it took to rebuild the program into a consistent Big Ten contender. He dives into the challenges of turning over rosters in the transfer portal era, the growing importance of the international player market, and updates fans on key names like Tomislav Ivisic, Mihailo Petrovic, Kylan Boswell, Keaton Wagler, Andrej Stojakovic, and David Mirkovic. The two also reflect on Illinois’ Elite Eight run, preview a marquee matchup against Alabama, and look ahead to what lies ahead for one of the hottest teams in college basketball.

(0:15) Daily step count

(1:00) Becoming Illinois head coach

(2:30) llinois as destination job

(3:45) Rebuilding Illinois

(5:00) Turning over rosters

(6:15) International player market

(7:45) International player scouting

(9:15) Elite 8 appearance & loss

(10:45) Thoughts on undefeated start

(12:05) Tomislav Ivisic update

(14:15) Mihailo Petrovic

(15:45) Kylan Boswell

(17:30) Keaton Wagler

(18:45) Andrej Stojakovic

(21:00) David Mirkovic

(22:30) Non-conference schedule

(24:15) Alabama preview

(25:30) Best Wins & Worst Loss

(27:00) Season outlook

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