Illini basketball coach Brad Underwood has found success sparingly on the court this season, but he’s doing just fine off it.
Support for Underwood has allowed the U of I boss to reach the semifinal round of the Infinity Coaches’ Charity Challenge. That means Underwood’s charity partner, the United Way of Champaign County, will receive $10,000. For the past six weeks, votes for Underwood — through the website, or via mentions on Twitter and Instagram using #Timeout2Vote and #CoachBradUnderwood — have pushed him into the semifinal round. (The pool started with 24 coaches.)
To reach the finals, Underwood needs enough votes to be in the top four coaches. If he reaches the finals, the United Way is guaranteed a $15,000 donation. A victory in the finals is worth $100,000.
Two other Big Ten coaches have reached the semis: Indiana’s Archie Miller and Purdue’s Matt Painter.
You can vote every day through the contest website or via the Twitter and Instagram mentions referenced above. The current round continues through 10:59 a.m. on Feb. 25.