Illinois' Brad Underwood unleashes critical word that could define this year's team

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There is no getting around how the 2025-26 season concluded for Illinois. In the high-stakes world of March, the line between a triumphant run to the Final Four and a crushing exit against the UConn Huskies is razor-thin.

While Brad Underwood's Illini team isn't interested in living in the past, he is fully aware of how that experience shapes the team’s current drive.

According to Underwood, the sting of that final defeat has become an internal motivator for those who decided to stay, transforming heartbreak into actionable fuel.

The emotional toll of a deep tournament run followed by a premature exit is difficult to process, but Underwood believes it is a necessary part of his roster's evolution.

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"It’s pretty good that they understood what that felt like at the end of the year in both getting there and then how crappy that loss felt," Underwood told reporters.

In college basketball, the "hunger" that coaches often talk about is real. It is the difference between a team that is satisfied with merely making the tournament and a team that is obsessed with winning it.

Illinois continues to raise the bar.

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By experiencing the highest highs and the lowest lows, the returning players have a clearer understanding of what it takes to survive the bracket.

Rather than letting that disappointment weigh on them, Underwood sees the team using that memory to stay focused and competitive as they prepare for the new season.

"There’s another feeling to have, and I think they’re pretty hungry for that," Underwood said.

This hunger manifests in the daily grind of summer workouts. It is seen in the extra shots, the intensity of defensive drills, and the way the team carries itself.

Underwood is betting that this hunger will translate into a more resilient group when the schedule toughens up in the winter. The staff is not looking to relitigate last season; they are looking to use the lessons learned from it to ensure that when they find themselves in high-pressure situations again, the outcome is different.

Ultimately, the goal for the Illini is to pair that burning desire with the discipline of a veteran team. If the returning players can channel that "crappy" feeling into consistent, high-level effort, the 2026-27 team could prove to be the most dangerous iteration of the Underwood era yet.

But only time will tell.