Brad Underwood had plenty to celebrate after Illinois produced a commanding 112–70 victory over Penn, but the coach found another talking point when he looked towards the stands.

Among the spectators were Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and former NBA sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic, prompting Underwood to suggest that the evening needed an additional shooting competition.

There was no genuine controversy between the coach and either guest. Instead, Underwood used his postgame press conference to poke fun at his own players while acknowledging the extraordinary shooting credentials of the two visitors.

“Not only Caitlin, but Peja. I mean, we should have had a three-point contest to see who really the best shooter in the gym was,” replied Underwood, via Fighting Illini Athletics on YouTube, adding, “Because it wasn’t anybody who played tonight. No offense to any of those guys that played. But we’d probably still be out there playing a game of horse watching those two shoot.”

The joke landed particularly well because both guests had strong reasons to be at the State Farm Center on November 5. Stojakovic was watching his son Andrej represent Illinois, while Clark attended with Connor McCaffery, whose father, Fran, is the head coach of Penn.

Underwood also made a point of recognising Clark’s achievements, from her college career at Iowa to her impact in the professional game. “And then what she’s done in WNBA is pretty spectacular.”

Two elite shooters with very different basketball journeys

Clark’s presence offered a reminder of just how impressive her return to the court had been.

After an injury-disrupted 2025 campaign, she delivered one of the WNBA’s standout seasons in 2026, averaging 22.3 points, 8.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds across 40 appearances. She also shot 36.1% from three-point range.

Her accomplishments earned her a place on the All-WNBA First Team and the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year award. She finished third in the league in scoring and second in assists, becoming the first player in WNBA history to finish among the top three in both categories in the same season.

Stojakovic, meanwhile, brought a different kind of shooting pedigree. The Serbian forward enjoyed a distinguished NBA career, becoming a three-time All-Star and establishing himself as one of the league’s most dangerous perimeter threats.

His reputation was particularly evident in the NBA’s annual three-point competition, which he won in consecutive years in 2002 and 2003.

That history made Underwood’s suggestion more than a throwaway compliment. The coach had previously shared an anecdote about Andrej’s recruitment visit, recalling how Peja stepped onto the court without warming up and made 13 consecutive shots from the corner. Underwood said 10 of those attempts did not even touch the rim.

Andrej provided his own contribution to the evening, leading Illinois with 25 points. Quentin Coleman added 19, while four other Illini also reached double figures. Illinois shot 58.9% from the field and controlled the boards 62–33, turning the game into a convincing win.

The coach also expressed his appreciation for another member of the courtside group, saying, “I love Connor. I talk to Connor a great deal.”

With Illinois comfortably taking care of business, the imagined contest between Clark and Stojakovic became one of the night’s more memorable talking points.

Underwood did not get his shootout, but his comments made clear that he knew exactly how much shooting talent had been watching from the stands.