Is Illinois' Brad Underwood a Top-25 College Basketball Coach of the Century?

The Athletic and CJ Moore published a reasonable and well-considered ranking of the top 25 men's college basketball coaches of the 2000s. The list's criteria included national titles, Final Fours, conference regular-season championships, conference tournament championships, NCAA Tournament appearances, total wins, longevity, and a dash of subjectivity.

Illinois coach Brad Underwood was excluded, primarily due to his shorter tenure starting in 2013, while many ranked coaches (including No. 1 Bill Self, retired coaches like Roy Williams, Mike Krzyzewski, Jay Wright, and NBA departures like Billy Donovan and Brad Stevens) coached for the entire period. The high bar required longevity and sustained success throughout the 2000s.

Underwood's career record includes: 274 total wins (22.8 per season), 4 conference regular-season championships, 5 conference tournament titles, and 8 NCAA Tournament appearances across Stephen F. Austin (2013-16), Oklahoma State (2016-17), and Illinois (2017-present). He has no national titles or Final Fours. Despite this, his accomplishments compare favorably to some on the list - he averages more wins than Bob Huggins (No. 25) and Gary Williams (No. 23), has more conference tournament titles than Sean Miller (No. 24), and has more combined regular-season and tournament championships than any coach outside the top 10.

The key factors preventing Underwood's inclusion are his lack of a national championship or Final Four appearance and, crucially, his shorter coaching tenure relative to others on the list. The author suggests Underwood would likely make a similar list focused on the 2020s or the past decade and could feature on a future updated ranking, especially if Illinois achieves a breakthrough in 2025-26.