Could Brad Underwood be the next Kentucky basketball coach? He is being mentioned
The college basketball coaching carousel is spinning. Could it be stopping at the University of Illinois?
Fighting Illini coach Brad Underwood has been mentioned by media as a potential replacement for John Calipari. He is leaving Kentucky to become the new head coach at Arkansas, according to multiple reports Sunday night.
Underwood just completed his seventh and most successful season at Illinois. The 60-year-old led the Illini to the Big Ten Conference tournament championship and a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight. He is 117-49 over the last five seasons with the Illini.
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Multiple media outlets have Underwood among the possibilities to replace Calipari at Kentucky, considered a "blue blood" program and one of the top jobs in the sport.
Blake Toppmeyer, SEC columnist for USA TODAY, includes Underwood on a list with Bruce Pearl of Auburn, Nate Oats of Oklahoma, Kelvin Sampson of Houston and former Florida coach Billy Donovan, now with the NBA's Chicago Bulls.
"Underwood has been dynamite for the Illini. His teams play an up-tempo, high-scoring style," wrote Toppmeyer. "... He's an intense fella. He should be up to handling the heat at UK. He’s had success in the transfer portal, too. That would be a breath of fresh air for UK after Calipari’s hesitance to embrace transfers."
Underwood is considered a step down from Kentucky's elite options, according to USA TODAY columnist Dan Wolken, who rolled out 12 possible candidates to replace Calipari.
Wolken's "top tier" is Baylor coach Scott Drew, Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, Auburn's Pearl and Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams. Underwood is listed in the "longshots" category with Oats, BYU coach Mark Pope and UCLA coach Mick Cronin.
"Underwood’s record is sneaky good: Over the last four years, his teams have gone 56-24 in the Big Ten with two tournament titles," Wolken wrote. "The Fighting Illini's trip to the Elite Eight further validated him after some disappointing NCAA performances. Kentucky fans probably don’t know much about Underwood, but they’ll learn quickly if he is hired."
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Ethan DeWitt of SB Nation's "A Sea of Blue" says Kentucky's "first calls" should be to elite talents like Donovan, Wright and UConn coach Dan Hurley, followed by Drew and Oats. Underwood is listed in the third tier of candidates along with Lloyd and Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger.
"If we get to these names, the (Big Blue Nation) likely won’t be happy, but it could be some solid hires, especially with Otzelberger," DeWitt wrote. "... Underwood has consistently produced at Illinois, but he has just one career Elite Eight and has never been to the Final Four at age 60."
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Kentucky coaching search: Is Illinois coach Brad Underwood an option?
