HOUSTON — Brad Underwood wore a pair of colorful shoes — beyond just the typical orange and blue — at his team’s practice this week before Illinois’ Sweet 16 win over Houston at the Toyota Center.
He explained they bore the flags of the countries from which his players come, including the United States, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Puerto Rico and Greece. The ninth-year Illinois coach said he wanted to have fun and show appreciation for his players.
“It’s what this team is about: a group of guys from all over the world,” Underwood said.
If Iowa coach Ben McCollum had a representation of his team on his shoes, it would be mostly the flags of Midwest states — or perhaps the logos of Drake and Iowa together to represent the six players who followed their coach from one state university to another last spring.
That’s the beautiful, striking contrast between No. 3 seed Illinois and No. 9 seed Iowa as they get ready for their Elite Eight matchup, which will tip off at 5:09 p.m. Saturday (TBS).
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Illinois coaches traveled 5,000-some miles to the Balkans to help assemble their international cast of characters, including Croatian twin centers Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivišić and standout freshman David Mirković, from Montenegro.
Underwood said that years of work from his assistants resulted in the group, which he believes fits the university and his style. All three of those players have European professional experience.
“Basketball-wise it’s a great fit for me, and I like coaching them,” he said. “The way we’re playing with positional size and shooting, it’s a great marriage and a great fit. So we’ll continue it. I would think others will continue to migrate over there and keep trying to recruit those guys.”
Meanwhile, when McCollum took over at Iowa last March, he looked at his roster from his lone season at Missouri Valley Conference competitor Drake — an NCAA Tournament second-round participant in 2025 for the first time since 1971 — and brought six players on the short trip from Des Moines to Iowa City.
That included star guard Bennett Stirtz, who began his career with McCollum at Division II Northwest Missouri State before transferring with him to Drake. Iowa’s roster is almost entirely from the Midwest, though the Hawkeyes do have 6-foot-10 junior forward Alvaro Folgueiras from Spain.
“In 20 years, it will be an insane story,” McCollum said of the rise from D-II after Iowa’s win over Nebraska in the Sweet 16.
And yet, there are many intertwining storylines in a game between two teams that have played 172 times before Saturday. It is Illinois-Iowa, after all.
Two Big Ten schools, 3½ hours apart, whose participation in the Sweet 16 in Houston this week along with Nebraska resulted in many corn references and emojis on social media.
Two revived programs looking to end Final Four droughts — Illinois since its last appearance in 2005, Iowa since 1980.
Two underrecruited guards from the Kansas City, Mo., area, Stirtz and Illinois’ Keaton Wagler, who have risen to be among the best in the Big Ten — and the nation — this season.
Two coaches from humble Kansas and Missouri beginnings working their way up the ranks to finally get within reach of their first Division I Final Four. Underwood, 62, went step by step at the D-I level after a junior college career. McCollum, 44, started at D-II and then rose in a flurry over the last two seasons in D-I.
Both Underwood and McCollum started their careers at places in Kansas many would have to Google to locate. Emporia State before Northwest Missouri State for McCollum. Dodge City for Underwood before he went to Western Illinois and then Daytona Beach.
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In getting ready for the Sweet 16 games, they both recalled their early days at those schools. Underwood talked about driving a 16-passenger van to get to tournaments and one time making a trip from Dodge City to Mesa, Ariz., for a game.
Now after Division I stops at Stephen F. Austin and Oklahoma State, Underwood is bringing Illinois to its second Elite Eight in three years, joining Lou Henson as the only Illini coaches in the modern era to reach that level twice.
Underwood said before facing Houston in the Sweet 16: “If you had told me back then that I’m getting to coach basketball in the Sweet 16 and play Houston, I would sign up for it. I would crawl to get there.”
McCollum won four national titles at the D-II level with Northwest Missouri State. But he called the Division I tournament “bougie,” given the plane, food and hotel accommodations provided.
Adjusting to the Big Ten with his group of midmajor transfers wasn’t quite as easy. The Hawkeyes went 10-10 in Big Ten play, including losing their only game against Illinois 75-69, to finish ninth in the conference.
But the Hawkeyes weathered the conference storm to play their best basketball in March, upsetting top-seeded and defending champion Florida in the NCAA Tournament second round and fourth-seeded Nebraska in the Sweet 16. That helped McCollum become the second Iowa coach along with Tom Davis to make an Elite Eight in their first year.
“I think everyone doubted us before the season at Drake, and it felt the same way at Iowa this spring, this summer,” Stirtz said. “Just knowing we brought six guys from Drake, midmajor level, it’s definitely a different league coming from the Missouri Valley to the Big Ten, more talented, more athletic guys.
“We knew not everything was going to be perfect. We definitely got handed blowout games sometimes, and we got beat up, which we needed. But we responded well every game, and I thought we brought it every game this year, and it really just prepared us for this March run.”
Underwood said it has helped the quick transition that McCollum was able to bring his players with him to Iowa, including Stirtz, who didn’t receive a D-I offer in high school.
Stirtz, an All-Big Ten selection, has been a driving force in the run, averaging 19.7 points, 4.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game.
“The world’s changed,” Underwood said. “When I took over, players had to sit out and the transfer world was different. Now can you bring your culture and you can establish that. I think he’s obviously very intelligent. He brought guys with him. It helps when Bennett is one of them. So you’re able to establish your culture in a very quick way.
“This is a tribute to him. His teams have always won because they continue to get better. They don’t stay status quo.”
Meanwhile, Underwood has built up his culture over many years but especially has succeeded this season with a unique group that has included Wagler, who has a connection with McCollum, Stirtz and multiple Iowa players from the Kansas City area.
When Wagler was still an underrecruited high school player from Shawnee, Kan., McCollum recruited him to Drake.
Iowa forward Cam Manyawu, who is also from the Kansas City area and had played for Wagler’s high school coach in AAU, hosted him on his official visit, bringing him to Dave and Buster’s. He thought Wagler was a nice kid but like many others he didn’t realize what the guard could become at this level.
Illinois became one of two Power 4 schools to offer Wagler, and he was named a second-team All-American after averaging 17.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists this season.
“It’s been crazy to see,” Manyawu said. “Because I saw a little bit of his high school film, and I’d be lying if I said I knew he was going in the (NBA) first round, one and done, but he’s turned himself into that. But that just speaks to the work he has put in and the belief he has in himself.”
Wagler’s rise has been a perfect addition to the international crew and top American returnees Kylan Boswell, Ben Humrichous and Jake Davis for the Illini.
As Illinois and Iowa prepare to pit their two unique groups Saturday, Underwood pointed to a couple of common denominators in the rosters that were built in different ways.
“It’s the ability to evaluate. It’s the ability to understand the name on the front of the jersey is still pretty valuable,” Underwood said. “You’ve got to find a group of guys that want to play for the name on the front, not the name on the back. They’ve done that in their program, and we’ve done that in our program.”