An away game that was supposed to be a test of their on-road supremacy became a mere routine game for Illinois. Brad Underwood’s team returned from the first split of their California stretch with a 36-point win (101-65) at the Galen Center. The win was quite impressive, given they’re playing their third game in a nine-day window and had to travel around 2000 miles for this away game. However, Underwood isn’t buying into these hardships.

Speaking in a post-game interview, Underwood highlighted that his team has the best facilities in every respect during away games and therefore isn’t concerned about travel.

“I’m one of those coaches, I don’t really give a damn where we play,” Underwood said. “I don’t worry about the trips, we’re spoiled, we charter. We have great food, and we stay in nice places. It’s really not that hard. We know that the roads are really hard in the Big Ten. The schedule says we go to UCLA next, they’re very good and well-coached, and we just gotta show up and play.”

It’s generally true that playing away games in the latter stages of the regular season takes its toll, due to the difficulty of the road. Especially in the Big Ten conference, where UCLA and Washington compete and require teams to travel cross-country to face them, the situation for IOWA doesn’t get any better.

But Underwood’s assessment is clear: he doesn’t believe in hiding behind the curtain of scheduling issues and just wants his team to perform, whether at home or on the road. The Fighting Illini’s on-road performance also reflects a similar mindset. Underwood’s team has a dominant 7-1 record so far, with wins over top-ranked teams on away turf: IOWA, Nebraska, and Purdue.

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The dominant march in their away stretch was also prevalent in the blowout win over USC. Tight ball security, precise shooting, and dominance on the glass made light work of their game against a side that has been quite dominant on their home turf. Fighting Illini’s shooting was hot throughout the game, scoring 32 of 62 from open play for 52% and 13 of 29 for 45% from the deep.

With this win, Brad Underwood’s team improves its record to 22-5 and 13-3 in the season. However, their dominance in away games still has a couple of tests left before the March Madness, including an away challenge against the UCLA Bruins up next. But for now, the Illinois head coach remains optimistic about his team’s shared vision.

Brad Underwood Heaps Praise on His Team’s DNA on the Court

One of the primary reasons for Illinois’ success this season has been contributions from the entire roster. All in all, five players currently average over 10 points in the season. This balance was also reflected in the USC Trojans game. Wagler, David Mirkovic, Tomislav Ivisic, Jake Davis, and Kylan Boswell all scored over 10 points as starters, with Andrej Stojakovic adding 22 from the bench.

Head coach Brad Underwood knows that this philosophy, of not relying on a single player, has worked for them. And after the Trojans’ game, he hesitated to validate it perfectly. “They don’t care,” Underwood said. “They really don’t care who scores. It’s something we’ve taken a lot of pride in all year, talking about that one night, it’s so and so, and it’s simply based on what the defense gives us. It’s a coverage. We’ve seen nights where Keaton just passes the ball and it shows our guy’s skill set.”

This sustainable offense has helped Underwood’s team average 84.2 points per game, ranking 31st in the country. However, this will be put to the test against UCLA on Saturday. The Bruins have boasted a formidable defense this season, conceding just 70.9 ppg, well below what Illinois has allowed.

Even though the Bruins are coming off straight defeats to Michigan and Michigan State, their players, Xavier Booker and Donovan Dent, have been calling the shots effectively while protecting the rim, posing a tough challenge to Illinois’ offense.

The game is set to tip off at 8 p.m. ET at the Pauley Pavilion. Brad Underwood’s team is going in as the favorites with 68.5% chances of winning the game, per ESPN. What are your thoughts regarding this game? Can Illinois return with straight victories from the California stretch? Do let us know in the comments.