A few weeks after Illinois’ season came to an abrupt end in the Sweet 16, head coach Brad Underwood met with reporters to reflect on the year. Sure, it might’ve been a disappointing ending, but Underwood doesn’t want that one game to overshadow the entire season.

Monday, Underwood met with reporters to talk about multiple topics. He discussed the overall 2020-21 season, players leaving, the transfer portal, the Illinois coaching staff and plenty of other things while speaking with the media.

One thing was clear from Underwood — Illinois had a “fantastic year.” The head coach admitted that he hasn’t been able to get over the loss to Loyola Chicago just yet, but the Fighting Illini still ended the year with a 24-7 record and a 16-4 mark in B1G play, winning more games in the conference than anyone else.

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Illinois went on to win the B1G Tournament championship and earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It ended before anyone expected, but there were still a lot of positive takeaways from the year.

Here’s what Underwood had to say about Illinois’ season: