Brad Underwood’s message for Illinois after beating No. 1 Kansas

Illinois closed out its preseason in the best way possible Sunday night, with a 82-75 win over No. 1 Kansas.

After the game, there was no water bottle shower in the locker room. But head coach Brad Underwood did have one message for his guys.

“I thought we had really good moments offensively,” Underwood said. “I thought we scrapped. It’s all about continuing to work.”

“It’s all about understanding one thing: Everybody in here is going to have their moments. Every single person is going to have their moments. The beauty of our team is our depth.”

Illinois played 12 guys against the Jayhawks, with 9 of them getting at least 9 minutes of action. (The three who didn’t were the three freshmen: DGL, Hansberry & Moretti.)

There is no question this is a deep team with star power up top, led by Terrence Shannon Jr. and Coleman Hawkins.

If Sunday is any indication, Illinois is a team to be messed with this season.

One week until opening tip on Monday, Nov. 6 against Eastern Illinois. The game can be seen on BTN+.