Brad Underwood is no stranger to a mass exodus.
Stints leading Dodge County Community College and Daytona Beach Community, a pair or jobs where he assembled a 61.1 win percentage, inoculate a coach to roster turnover. It’s also a fact of life for a Division I coach working in this era, one where roughly 40 percent of players transfer by the end of their sophomore seasons. When Underwood arrived at Illinois, a degree of churn wasn’t just an expectation. It was an expectation.
Try telling that to a restless fanbase — one eager to see the Fighting Illini end a five-year absence from the NCAA tournament.