Illinois basketball coach Brad Underwood wants the NCAA Tournament selection committee to understand his team's situation. Underwood relayed a message to the committee after his team's win Tuesday against UCLA.

“You hope they recognize the fact we played five games without one of our two best players in most cases,” Underwood said, per Fox Illinois.

Illinois has had to play a good amount of the season without a full roster. Several key contributors have been hurt, including Tomislav Ivisic.

Despite the injuries, the Fighting Illini are keeping their NCAA tournament hopes alive. Illinois is now 9-6 in the Big Ten after defeating the Bruins 83-78 on Tuesday.

“Hats off to UCLA,” Underwood said, per The Champaign Room. “I thought first half defensively we were terrific…We had a couple too many turnovers that led to some easy baskets for them, but I thought in the first half we played really well. Second half became a shootout…good Big Ten basketball game. Great win. Excited to come out of here with a W and move onto the next.”

Illinois was led by Kasparas Jakucionis, who had 24 points. Illinois is 17-8 overall, and has two wins in a row.

“I wanna thank the fans,” Jakucionis said. “They mean a lot to us. I think they motivate us to play harder. Every time we dive on the floor or we get the offensive rebound, they're cheering for us. When we go to the free throw line, they’re cheering for us. I think they're the best fans in the country.”

The school also had another reason to celebrate, as former player Kofi Cockburn had his jersey hung in the rafters on Tuesday.

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Brad Underwood has Illinois rolling once again

Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at State Farm Center.
Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

The Fighting Illini have turned themselves into a basketball power under Underwood. In his tenure, he's made four consecutive NCAA tournaments. His best season was last year, when he made the Elite Eight.

Illinois looks pretty much certain to make the tournament once again, unless the team undergoes a massive losing streak. Illinois still has seven games left this conference season. Six of them are against teams likely to make the NCAA tournament, including contests with Purdue and Michigan.

“I don't worry about wins,” Underwood added. “The margin doesn't concern me as much as how we play. I think that we’re a process-driven group and it’s ‘how do we play in the process’ and ‘what do we have to learn’. It's challenging against a team that's well-coached.”

The Fighting Illini next take on Michigan State Saturday. Michigan State is coming off a bad loss to Indiana.