Good Morning, Illini Nation: New-look media days

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Sign up for our daily basketball newsletter here Welcome to Good Morning, Illini Nation, your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey.

Hell offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwoods team and college basketball at large: My first thought when the Big Ten announced it would have all 18 women's basketball teams and then all 18 men's basketball teams together for Big Ten media days was about how early they were going to have to start to get through the 15-minute, made-for-TV podium sessions that typically start each day.

Big Ten football took three days in Indianapolis for 18 teams.

Basketball was going for two days in Rosemont Wednesday for the women, Thursday for the men for 36 teams.

So it makes there's a change in format coming.

Big Ten basketball coaches will appear in groups of three for what the conference is calling "head coach panels" in lieu of individual podium time broadcast live on BTN.

"Led by moderators from Big Ten Network, coaches, in groups of three, will discuss a variety of topics relevant to college basketball," the Big Ten sent its media contingent Friday evening.

Illinois coach Brad Underwood is in the leadoff spot Thursday along with Michigan's Dusty May and Wisconsin's Greg Gard.

I doubt Underwood will bring up May's win against the Illini in 2018 while at FAU, but he should and then thank his coaching colleague.

That's part of the reason Kofi Cockburn wound up in Champaign.

The rest of Big Ten media day will play out as normal with coaches and players available at individual podiums.

Illinois will be represented by Ty Rodgers and Kylan Boswell.

Rodgers was basically a lock given he's the lone returning starter from an Elite Eight team.

Boswell makes sense for the other spot given he's one of the few veterans on the team and the fact he's got the "return of the hometown star" narrative..

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