Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood watches the action Friday, March 14, 2025, in a quarterfinals game at the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Tournament between the Maryland Terrapins and the Illinois Fighting Illini at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Grace Smith/IndyStar/USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

ESPN Makes Surprising Pick for Illinois Basketball's Top Award Candidate in 2025-26

Originally posted on Illinois Fighting Illini on SI
By Jackson Langendorf | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 1:55 PM ET

With all the (deserved) excitement surrounding Illinois football, the basketball program has, for once, been bumped ever-so-slightly out of the limelight. No worries: Their time will come. The Illini hoopers figure to enter the 2025-26 campaign as a top-25 team, with all the pieces to battle for a Big Ten title – and perhaps even more.

Illinois brings back the interior-exterior combo of guard Kylan Boswell and big man Tomislav Ivisic – not to mention a key transfer portal find in wing Andrej Stojakovic (Cal). The Illini also landed Tomislav’s twin brother, Zvonimir, from Arkansas, and even went across the pond to grab international prospects Mihailo Petrovic and David Mirkovic.

Click here for a look at how Petrovic’s late arrival may be an advantage

Newcomer First LookAndrej StojakovicCarmichael, Calif. pic.twitter.com/V80neLF7zF
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) July 15, 2025

Long story short, Illinois’ roster is filled to the brim with talent – which brings us to a question posed (and answered) by ESPN’s Jeff Borzello: Who is the Illini’s top award candidate?

ESPN's surprise pick for an Illinois award winner

In fact, Borzello picked the top award candidate from every team in his preseason top 25 (he ranks Illinois No. 16), and his choice for the Illini was a bit unexpected: head coach Brad Underwood.

Borzello, ESPN’s college basketball guru, pointed to the potential uphill climb that may be meshing this unique Illinois roster – a task that, naturally, falls on the shoulders of Underwood (and his staff). Borzello mentions how potent the Illini have been offensively for the past few years, but the program’s ability to lock up defensively may be the true determinant of how far it goes.

“Can Underwood get this new roster dialed in defensively? … That will be the difference between whether the Illini are pushing toward the top of the league or making a first-weekend exit,” wrote Borzello.

Brad Underwood: Big Ten Coach of the Year?

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Clearly, if Underwood can successfully build a strong defensive identity in his Illini, Borzello seems to believe he'll have a strong chance to bring home some personal hardware this year. Although Borzello doesn’t specify which award Underwood would most likely be up for (if all goes according to plan), one can only assume he’s alluding to Big Ten Coach of the Year – one of the few accomplishments that has slipped by Underwood during his time in Champaign.

Considering that no Illinois head coach has won that award since Bruce Weber in 2004-2005 – an Illini team that has been a hot topic in recent days – if Underwood were able to bring in the honors, he would instantly cement his legacy as one of the top Illini head coaches in the program's history.

This article first appeared on Illinois Fighting Illini on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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