BOLD: Brad Underwood Believes Illinois Can Make Another…

About this episode

Illinois basketball is coming off a Final Four appearance — but Brad Underwood isn't treating it like the culmination of what he's building in Champaign. During his conversation with Jon Rothstein, Underwood admitted that he thinks about returning to the Final Four “a lot” and explained why he believes Illinois is a program capable of getting back there. On today's Locked On Illini, Sunny Verma explains why those comments matter beyond just preseason optimism. Illinois has retained a major portion of its roster, continues to invest heavily in basketball and appears to have alignment between Underwood, Josh Whitman, the coaching staff and the players. Is Illinois basketball entering a new era where Final Four expectations are no longer unrealistic? Plus, we turn to Illinois football as GAME WEEK arrives. Sunny explains why he's becoming increasingly optimistic about transfer quarterback Katin Houser, what Barry Lunney Jr. may be able to unlock in the veteran QB, and why the drop-off from Luke Altmyer might not be as significant as expected. Also discussed: 🏀 Brad Underwood's expectations after the Final Four 🏀 Illinois' roster retention 🏀 Why Champaign has become a destination 🏈 Katin Houser's fit in Barry Lunney Jr.'s offense 🏈 Illinois' quarterback situation 🏈 Michael Clayton Jr.'s future 🏈 Week 1 roster updates Subscribe to Locked On Illini for DAILY coverage of Illinois football, basketball and recruiting. It's a great time to be an Illini. ------------------------------- Welcome to Locked On Illini, your one-stop show for all things Illinois Fighting Illini football and basketball! Join host Sunny Verma as he brings you in-depth analysis, game previews, post-game breakdowns, and exclusive interviews with players, coaches, and insiders. Whether you're a die-hard Illini fan or just looking to stay updated on the latest in college sports, this is the podcast for you. Tune in on YouTube and your favorite audio platforms for fresh episodes and all the insights you need to stay ahead of the game. Get ready to be Locked On Illini! Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth coverage of Illini basketball and football! Email us at: talkillini@gmail.com FOLLOW OUR FACEBOOK PAGE! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... TALK ILLINI DISCORD: https://discord.gg/hx6kt3HSr Follow Sunny's personal account: @theSunnyV Follow us on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/lockedonilli... For your next listen, check out the Locked On College Football podcast! From NIL deals to never ending conference realignment rumors, Spencer McLaughlin gets you ready for an exciting season on the gridiron! Click HERE to listen now. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your Team. Every Day. Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonillini.supercast.com/ Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! KALSHI For a limited time, Download the Kalshi app and use code [LOCKEDON] to get $10 when you trade $10. . Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast. Square Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at https://square.com/go/COLLEGE ! #squarepod ULTRA POUCHES Don’t sleep on Ultra Pouches. New customers get 15% Off with code LOCKEDONCOLLEGEFOOTBALL at https://takeultra.com! #UltraPouches #ad 5-Hour ENERGY Bring on the sweetness with Cotton Candy 5-hour ENERGY®️ shots—available online now at https:/5hourENERGY.com or on Amazon. Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply. FanDuel College football Saturdays are already packed with reasons to get excited, and this season, FanDuel is giving fans even more ways to get in on every matchup. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COM FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.