Illinois Freshmen “Busted in the Mouth,” Underwood Says After Exhibition Loss

Coach Brad Underwood’s Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team suffered a 95-91 exhibition loss to coach Scott Drew’s Baylor Bears on Friday night amid a big game from freshman Quentin Coleman and tough injury news on AP Preseason All-American David Mirkovic.

The Fighting Illini are now 1-1 on the exhibition season heading into its final tilt against the Illinois-Chicago Flames on Oct. 28, with the regular season opener scheduled for Nov. 2 against Fairleigh Dickinson.

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Underwood spoke about the learning lessons endured, and absorbed, by the Illini freshmen against the Bears as he commended them for their mindset and ability to bounce back.

Feb 5, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike’s Arena. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Underwood spoke about the difference between college basketball veterans and freshmen in a postgame press conference shared by Tristan Thomas of WCIA-3.

“You know, that was the beauty of Ben (Humrichous), and those veterans last year. They didn’t make those mistakes. Freshmen were, Keaton (Wagler) was rare. Mirk (David Mirkovic) was rare, Mirk had a lot of issues defensively earlier.

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“But this group will be fine they’ll get better, they care, they try, they’re smart. But they just have to get, like tonight, busted in the mouth a bit, to see what that looks like, and…Very typical of freshmen.

“I comment all the time about the challenges with them, and I’ve always played them. That’s what this is for, the freshmen get better so quick at a rapid rate when you play them, and so they become your ceiling, and that’s what really, really excites me about this group.”

Five-star freshman and Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year Quentin Coleman showed off the Illini’s ceiling in his own unique way as he scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Illinois in their loss.

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Fellow freshman…

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Publish date : 2026-10-24 13:00:00

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