VIDEO: Illinois Coach Brad Underwood After 59-51 Win Over Minnesota
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois head coach Brad Underwood talked to reporters about the 59-51 win over Minnesota.
"When you look at our stat sheets a lot of the times, you may not see the most glaring numbers for Da'Monte and I told him in the locker room that I won't kiss my wife tonight because I'm going to kiss you and I kissed him right on the forehead."
The win put No. 19 Illinois (16-5, 8-2 in Big Ten Conference) back into a tie with Michigan State for the conference lead. Illinois owns its longest conference winning streak in 15 years, since setting a school record with 25 consecutive Big Ten victories spanning the 2004 and 2005 seasons (Jan. 31, 2004-March 3, 2005).
Illinois is off to its best nine-game start in the Big Ten (8-2) since starting 15-0 in 2005. The Illini has opened league play with five home wins for the first time since 2009 when it won its first six.