Brad Underwood shares how Illinois “flipped the script” after horrendous 3-point shooting display

Illinois' Brad Underwood highlighted the negative toll social media commentary could take on young athletes while speaking on "The Field Of 68: After Dark." In the interview uploaded on Monday, the Fighting Illini coach reflected on the team's 110-67 loss to Duke in February. The team struggled from the tip-off, missing all of its 3-point attempts, and faced a 17-point deficit at the break.

However, Underwood deflected from the team's poor shooting touch. Instead, he motivated his crew by pointing out that they converted 14 of 16 shots from inside the arc against the best interior defense in the nation.

"Yeah, we flipped the script," he said (at 3:28). "We were 12 of 14 from twos in the first half against Duke, we're 0 for 16 from three ... and let's face it - everybody pays attention to social media except me. I've been off of it for six years but our players do."

"So instead of saying, 'Hey we're 0 for 16,' and that's what they're hearing, we just took it as, 'Hey we got all the misses out of the way, we got a lot of makes coming.'

... And we just flipped the part mentally instead of beating them down or grinding on them, it just became the positive ... that's what they needed to hear because if they just followed social - they would have thought they were the worst shooters in the history of basketball."

Brad Underwood's decision to focus on the positive worked wonders for the roster. Illinois won its next four contests with an average margin of 15 points. These wins included two AP top-25 teams and a neutral arena matchup.

While the Fighting Illini's long-range touch improved, the team only made 46 of 122 3-pointers during this stretch (37.7%). However, the team remained aggressive whenever it stepped inside the perimeter. They made 83 of 136 attempts from inside the arc (61.0% efficiency).

Illinois awards Brad Underwood with 6-year extension

Illinois finished the 2024-25 season with a 22-13 record to earn its fifth straight NCAA Tournament bid. As a result, the Fighting Illini handed Brad Underwood a new six-year contract extension.

Under Underwood's new deal, he's set to start at $4.4 million. He's also eligible for retention incentives worth $1.15 million, per the AP.