The Illinois Fighting Illini and coach Brad Underwood are expected to return one of the most physically imposing and talented teams in the country this coming season with national title aspirations.

The Illini have a schedule to match with games slated against Duke, UConn, Missouri, Texas Tech and North Carolina already on the docket. 

On Monday, coach Underwood's scheduling philosophy was revealed in a video that showcased his reasoning and plans for adding more big name opponents on the heels of a Final Four appearance. 

Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) gets the shot off Saturday, April 4, 2026, during a Final Four game against the UConn Huskies at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Underwood positioned himself as the biggest advocate for a challenging schedule in comments shared via Carson Gourdie on X.

When asked whether Illinois is still planning to schedule more tough teams, Underwood did not hesitate. 

"Yes," the Illini coach said.

"Yeah, we want to play high level games. Like I said, there's nobody a bigger advocate of great competition, high level games, they don't hurt you, you know, in terms of the new analytics systems that we all use," he added. 

Illinois' 2026-27 schedule has been ranked as one of the toughest in the nation and Underwood has no plans of letting up on that front. 

Underwood also spoke about the "tremendous value" provided by the Illini hoops program's ambitious scheduling as of late. 

"I do think that there was tremendous value in last year's run (to the Final Four)," Underwood added. 

"Us playing the different styles, playing the Alabamas, Missouris, we saw different things. We've gotta continue to keep exploring all those opportunities, Joey (Biggs) (is) working his tail off to try to find those games," Underwood said, speaking on his program's associate athletic director, who handles basketball scheduling duties. 

The Fighting Illini's approach to non-conference scheduling is more noteworthy considering the overwhelming strength of the Big Ten Conference.

The Illini joined national champion Michigan in the Final Four last season and are expected to be the favorite to win the league in 2026-27.

Winning the Big Ten won't be easy with the Wolverines returning 2025-26 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Elliot Cadeau along with other impact players. 

The upper echelon of the league is also expected to include Michigan State, USC, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana and Purdue among others talent rich Big Ten teams.

Underwood has made a living off of taking on all comers and creating fearless teams in Champaign. 

The 2026-27 season could be a culmination of everything he has strived to perfect during his time as head coach, with potential Big Ten and national championships the top goals his talented team will be chasing.