INDIANAPOLIS _ Illinois has hired Oklahoma State's Brad Underwood as its men's basketball coach.
Athletic director Josh Whitman announced the news Saturday afternoon via Twitter, posting a photo of the two with the message: "Welcome Coach Brad Underwood! (Hashtag)WeWillWin (Hashtag)ILLINI"
Underwood, 53, guided the Cowboys to the NCAA Tournament in his first year with the program. They lost 92-91 to Michigan in the first round Friday, finishing at 20-13. They won 12 games last season.
Under Underwood, Oklahoma State ranked sixth in Division I in scoring this season at 85.7 points per game after ranking 303rd in 2015-16, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Underwood, 53, previously coached at Stephen F. Austin, making three NCAA Tournaments in his three seasons there and going 89-14. He was also an assistant at Western Illinois from 1992-2003 but otherwise appears to have few ties to Chicago or the state.
Underwood takes over for John Groce, who was fired last week after five seasons in Champaign. The Illini have missed four straight NCAA Tournaments.
Whitman had been aiming for other hires, such as Monty Williams and Cuonzo Martin, according to sources. Sources said Underwood was lower on his list of options.
