Illinois men's basketball coach Brad Underwood had a bad feeling ahead of an eventual loss to USC this past Saturday but wants to focus on newly minted No. 19 Illinois finishing 2-0 this week.

Brad Underwood was pleased with his team after a three-win week that boosted the Illini up nine spots in the AP poll. Illinois checked in at No. 13 in the latest rankings, but it wasn’t just the final score that left the Illini head coach feeling content.

Illinois coach Brad Underwood did not want to linger on Thursday night's historic Big Ten Conference victory at No. 9 Oregon. The No. 22 Fighting Illini's 109-77 decision in Eugene, Ore.,

(WCIA) – Brad Underwood was pleased with his team after ... Rather, the way Illinois won its two games out West, against Oregon and Washington, was seemingly more impressive to him.

Scott Richey covers college basketball for The News-Gazette. His email is [email protected], and you can follow him on Twitter ( @srrichey ).

If an aspiring college basketball player wants to play under Brad Underwood's leadership, it's as straightforward as possible.

It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with an Illinois-Michigan State prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Illinois-Michigan State. There is plenty of Big Ten college hoops on Sunday’s generally light slate.

A look at Michigan State's basketball game Sunday against Illinois – including matchup analysis, how to watch, the betting line, and a prediction.

Men's college basketball and Illini beat writer Scott Richey projects his top four seeds for each region of the NCAA tournament. This week? A mix of Big Ten and SEC teams at the top. ➜ 1. Iowa State ➜ 2.

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Wisconsin seeks to avoid that fate when it embarks on its first Big Ten West Coast road trip. The Badgers visit USC (11-6, 3-3 Big Ten) on Saturday and UCLA (11-6, 2-4 Big Ten) on Tuesday. Another pair of wins could send Wisconsin closer to the top spot in the conference, plus near the top 10 of the AP Poll.

KenPom favors Illinois' 20th-ranked offensive efficiency, sparked by freshman lead guard Kasparas Jakucionis (16.7 points and 5.4 assists per game), excellent scoring and playmaking balance, and potent – if inconsistent – three-point shooting.