Illinois head coach Brad Underwood is ripping into those who vote for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award. He believes one of his own guys is being disrespect.

Speaking with reporters on Friday, Underwood was critical of the voters for keeping Illini star defender Trent Frazier of the list of finalists for the prestigious award. He called it “a joke.”

“I want it out there publicly that it’s not a Defensive Player of the Year Award without him on it,” Underwood said. He also mentioned that “unintelligent” people are voting.

Frazier is known for his strong defensive effort, a big reason the Illini sit atop the conference standings at 7-2, along with Wisconsin. He’s also averaging 13.5 points, 3.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds per contest.

On the defensive end, Frazier is averaging nearly 1.5 steals per game.

Frazier has been outstanding in each of the last 5 games for Illinois, scoring at least 13 points and dishing a minimum of 5 assists in each contest.

Underwood never has much trouble speaking his mind and standing up for his players. Clearly, he’s frustrated that Frazier isn’t getting much love for his contributions on the defensive end.