Illinois' Underwood fulfills 'dream' of reaching Final Four - ESPN

HOUSTON — With a net draped around his neck at the Toyota Center following Illinois' 71-59 come-from-behind win over Iowa in the Elite Eight on Saturday, Brad Underwood thought about the moment.

«When you're a kid, you dream about this. You see it, you get home and you watch it. I was the kid who stayed up all night watching every game,» said Underwood, who said he thought his team had a shot at the Final Four when the season started. «And you start your journey and you're a junior college coach and it took me 26 years to become a head coach. You watch everybody do it and you wonder if your opportunity's going to come.»

Keaton Wagler's 25-point effort in his team's come-from-behind victory over Iowa, which led 12-2 to start the game on Saturday, was another breakout performance by the freshman who's gone from under-the-radar high school prospect to projected lottery pick. Illinois bounced back by playing defense that held Iowa to a 23.1 percent clip from the field after halftime. Underwood's squad overcame a 3-for-17 mark from the 3-point line by outsourcing Iowa 40-12 in the paint and securing a 57 percent offensive rebounding rate.

But long before that win, punctuated by a 43-point scoring avalanche after halftime made possible by Illinois' 58 percent mark from the field, there had to be belief. To make a run to the Final Four for the first time since 2005, when Illinois lost to North Carolina in the national game, Underwood had to have a team full of dreamers.

Underwood's coaching journey included stints at programs around the country, including Kansas State during the 2007-08 season, when Michael Beasley was top-five in scoring nationally. From there, he coached Thomas Walkup (Stephen F. Austin), Jawun Evans