Illinois started its 2026-27 campaign with an exhibition win at Cincinnati on Saturday, a high-octane offensive performance from both clubs. Few teams are going to outscore the Illini on a typical night,
Bearcats coach Jerrod Calhoun, who is in his first season at the helm in Cincinnati after a successful two-year stint at Utah State, commented on the game and Illinois' potency in his postgame press conference:
Cincinnati coach Jerrod Calhoun pinpoints the difference-maker in Illinois’ win
“They got us by seven,” Calhoun said of the battle of the boards. “Them and Houston, historically, are the two best rebounding teams in the country. … Honestly, plus-seven on the glass – that’s it. That’s how they got us.”
The Illini seem to always control the glass. Their losses tend to come on those rare occasions when they don’t. Even against a Bearcats squad that was stellar on the boards in its exhibition opener against Ohio State, Illinois mostly had its way.
Jerrod Calhoun offers insightful analysis of the Illini offense
“This is a team that will expose those [defensive] breakdowns because they have five guys on the floor that can make a shot,” Calhoun said. “Typically, you don’t play a team like this. That’s why they made the Final Four. They got 7-foot-1, 7-foot-2 guys making threes.
“And they’re elite cutters. … Their offense is like nothing I’ve seen. They kind of took everything, I believe, from the Milwaukee Bucks. They’ve spent a ton of time with the Bucks' coaching staff. And Tyler [Underwood has] done a great job with it. They just put you on closeouts, and they put a ton of pressure on you every possession. It was very, very unique seeing it live. I saw it on film. We showed film. But it was more impressive live.”
It’s really interesting to hear an opposing head coach’s take on the Illini offense. Calhoun's comments reflect what an intriguing watch Illinois can be. In some ways, it’s beautiful. But it’s also heavy on isolation ball. It’s predicated on winning individual matchups.
Often, from a distance, it just looks like a my-turn-your-turn offense. And in a sense, it is. But Illinois' coaches – specifically offensive coordinator Tyler Underwood – seem to have the design down to a science.
They know exactly where to place the Illini players and the principles to teach, yet they aren't overbearing in terms of Xs and Os. The offense is structured – but not too structured. And, of course, it doesn’t hurt to have one of the most talented rosters in the country.
Jerrod Calhoun praises Andrej Stojakovic and Stefan Vaaks
“He’s a nightmare,” Calhoun said of Illinois wing Andrej Stojakovic, who scored a team-high 24 points. “That kid is really, really good. Happy for Brad that he came back. I think they’ll have three or four guys [as] potential first-round picks. That’s a loaded roster. Think him and [Quentin] Coleman and [David] Mirkovic.
“And [Stefan] Vaaks is really good. I watched a lot of Big East last year. For him, I told him after the game, for him to come into a new situation and get 19 points on really great efficiency, they got a lot of weapons. You got to kind of pick your poison. And I thought Stojakovic tonight, every time we cut him off, we couldn’t get a trap from behind, and he was just living at the rim. So he did a great job.”
Calhoun and Cincinnati indeed had to pick their poison on Saturday, and that was against an Illinois team without projected All-American Mirkovic. This Illini offense, which is more multidimensional than it was a season ago, can be better than the historic unit from 2025-26.
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