As coach Brad Underwood and Illinois' cut down the nets on their way to a Final Four appearance, it's hard not to think, "What if?"
Illinois trounced the Tigers earlier this season, winning 91-48, giving Mizzou a glimpse of what type of damage Illinois could do in the NCAA Tournament. But years before, Missouri had their own chance to land Underwood as a coach, but instead went another direction.
Back in 2014, Missouri was on the hunt for a new head coach after Frank Haith. Eventually opting for Kim English, the Tigers passed on the opportunity to hire Underwood, who admitted he was very interested in the job.
"It's an unbelievable job," said Underwood at the time to the Kansas City Star. "That's my type of job. The basketball aside, it's been a great spot for many years with a ton of great players. It's a great university, but I'm still the coach at Stephen F [Austin]."
Missouri had a chance at Brad Underwood, but went another route
Underwood went on to coach at Oklahoma State for one season, before finding a home in Champaign. He's now got his team in the Final Four, and Missouri is on their third coach since 2014.
While it stinks to have missed on Underwood, current coach Dennis Gates does have the team in a nice spot despite his issues in March. The Tigers have made the NCAA Tournament in three of his four seasons, and will welcome in a top-10 recruiting class this year. Of course, that's no where close to a Final Four appearance, but who's to say Underwood wouldn't have burned out at Mizzou either.
Ultimately, it's very tough to find the perfect coach, and the Tiger fanbase will never stop hoping for more. Hopefully 2026 brings Gates some more success, and Missouri can take pride in their own Brad Underwood.