Good. Illinois has a serious demon to exorcize against the Huskies.
Just sayin': Some interesting comments about Brad Underwood evaluating/recruiting "International players":
Four teams will play for it all next weekend. Let's rank Michigan, Arizona, Illinois and UConn one final time.
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Men's March Madness 2026: Ranking the final four teams
Illinois coach Brad Underwood's roster features players from five different countries: Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece and the United States. The international flavor has been all the buzz this season, along with Underwood's discovery of freshman Keaton Wagler, who didn't get a scholarship offer from his home-state school Kansas but is now pushing for a top-10 spot in the 2026 NBA draft after a surprising season. Tomislav Ivisic is a 7-foot-1 force in the paint. Andrej Stojakovic is a two-way threat who helped corral Iowa star Bennett Stirtz in Saturday's Elite Eight win. David Mirkovic is a 6-9 forward who shot 40% from 3 in league play.
You'd think Underwood's success with international players would encourage the notion that any coach can go to Europe and recruit elite talent. Right?
Wrong. Coaches can't just walk into a gym in Europe full of elite players and recruit them. Mining the international landscape for talent is laborious. And it's only half the battle because Underwood's real strength isn't his knack for identifying international stars. Rather, it's his ability to know where those players fit in his system. He has built a group that has possessed the best offense in America for most of this season and has also played top-25 defense for the past month. Illinois' wins over Houston and Iowa in the second weekend of the NCAA tournament were a byproduct of the size the Illini use to protect the rim, as well as the pressure they have applied to opposing backcourts.
Illinois is a selfless team full of players who fulfill their roles and were put in the right positions by Underwood. He knows himself, and he knows his system. Above all, he knows which players he needs for it to all work.
Just sayin': Here's an example where he recruited an International player to replace Morez Johnson, Jr. after he transferred to scUM.
Head coach Brad Underwood had to bolster his front line after Johnson departed, and he turned to Europe, signing freshman forward David Mirković. Mirković has started for the Illini all year and had a very strong season, averaging 12.7 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 38.1% from three at 6-foot-9. Mirković has quickly become a fan favorite, playing with an energy that, sometimes, becomes a little bit crazy. However, his passion is undeniable, and it’s something Illini fans have really come to love.
“I think I would rather have Mirk (than Johnson),” Rauman said. “We’ve got a guy that seems to bleed Illinois orange and blue through and through. I mean, he had a quote earlier this year where he said if he didn’t play and the team lost, he would feel like that was on him and he might kill himself. It’s a little extreme … but that’s a guy that truly understands the value that he has and really loves being at Illinois. So that’s the type of guy that I want on my team.”
