Program history
Illinois
in the tournament.
Illinois appears in 36 tournaments in this archive, between 1942 and 2026, with an all-time record of 50–37. It has reached the title game once — 2005 — without winning it.
In its opening game it is 8–6. 9 of its 21 games decided by three points or fewer went its way.
Its biggest upset as the underdog came in 2026, when a 3rd seed beat the 2nd-seeded Houston 65–55. The reverse happened in 1987: as a 3rd seed it lost to the 14th-seeded Austin Peay 68–67.
Its longest run of consecutive appearances is 8, from 1983 to 1990. Its longest absence ran 18 years, between 1963 and 1981. It has met Kentucky 5 times, more than any other opponent.
This archive carries no numeric seed before 1979. Since then it has entered as high as a 1st seed and as low as a 12th.
- 36 Appearances
- 50–37 All-time record
- 0 Titles
Season by season
| Year | Seed | Record | Coach | Conference | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | — | 18–5 | Douglas R. Mills | Big Ten | round of 64 |
| 1949 | — | 21–4 | Harry Combes | Big Ten | Third Place |
| 1951 | — | 22–5 | Harry Combes | Big Ten | Third Place |
| 1952 | — | 22–4 | Harry Combes | Big Ten | Third Place |
| 1963 | — | 20–6 | Harry Combes | Big Ten | Regional Runner-up |
| 1981 | 4 | 21–8 | Lou Henson | Big Ten Conference | Round of 16 |
| 1983 | 7 | 21–11 | Lou Henson | Big Ten Conference | First round |
| 1984 | 2 | 26–5 | Lou Henson | Big Ten Conference | Regional Runner-up |
| 1985 | 3 | 26–9 | Lou Henson | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Regional semifinals to Georgia Tech, 53–61 |
| 1986 | 4 | 22–10 | Lou Henson | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round 2 to Alabama, 56–58 |
| 1987 | 3 | 23–8 | Lou Henson | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round 1 to Austin Peay, 67–68 |
| 1988 | 3 | 23–10 | Lou Henson | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round 2 to Villanova, 63–66 |
| 1989 | 1 | 31–5 | Lou Henson | Big Ten Conference | lost in the National semifinals to Michigan, 81–83 |
| 1990 | 5 | 21–8 | Lou Henson | Big Ten Conference | lost in the First round to Dayton, 86–88 |
| 1993 | 6 | 19–13 | Lou Henson | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round 2 to Vanderbilt, 68–85 |
| 1994 | 8 | 17–11 | Lou Henson | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round 1 to Georgetown, 77–84 |
| 1995 | 11 | 19–12 | Lou Henson | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round 1 to Tulsa, 62–68 |
| 1997 | 6 | 22–10 | Lon Kruger | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round of 32 to Chattanooga, 63–75 |
| 1998 | 5 | 23–10 | Lon Kruger | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round of 32 to Maryland, 61–67 |
| 2000 | 4 | 22–10 | Lon Kruger | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round of 32 to Florida, 76–93 |
| 2001 | 1 | 27–8 | Bill Self | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Regional Final to Arizona, 81–87 |
| 2002 | 4 | 26–9 | Bill Self | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Regional Semifinal to Kansas, 69–73 |
| 2003 | 4 | 25–7 | Bill Self | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round of 32 to Notre Dame, 60–68 |
| 2004 | 5 | 26–7 | Bruce Weber | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Regional Semifinal to Duke, 62–72 |
| 2005 | 1 | 37–2 | Bruce Weber | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Championship to North Carolina, 70–75 |
| 2006 | 4 | 26–7 | Bruce Weber | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round of 32 to Washington, 64–67 |
| 2007 | 12 | 23–12 | Bruce Weber | Big Ten Conference | lost in the Round of 64 to Virginia Tech, 52–54 |
| 2009 | 5 | 24–10 | Bruce Weber | Big Ten Conference | lost in the round of 64 to Western Kentucky, 72–76 |
| 2011 | 9 | 20–14 | Bruce Weber | Big Ten Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Kansas, 59–73 |
| 2013 | 7 | 23–13 | John Groce | Big Ten Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Miami (FL), 59–63 |
| 2021 | 1 | 24–7 | Brad Underwood | Big Ten Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Loyola Chicago, 58–71 |
| 2022 | 4 | 23–10 | Brad Underwood | Big Ten Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Houston, 53–68 |
| 2023 | 9 | 20–13 | Brad Underwood | Big Ten Conference | lost in the round of 64 to Arkansas, 63–73 |
| 2024 | 3 | 29–9 | Brad Underwood | Big Ten Conference | lost in the regional final to UConn, 52–77 |
| 2025 | 6 | 22–13 | Brad Underwood | Big Ten Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Kentucky, 75–84 |
| 2026 | 3 | 28–9 | Brad Underwood | Big Ten Conference | lost in the national semifinal to UConn, 62–71 |
How the games went
| Round | W–L |
|---|---|
| Opening | 8–6 |
| Round of 64 | 23–9 |
| Round of 32 | 6–10 |
| Round of 8 | 4–4 |
| Semifinal | 9–7 |
| Final | 0–1 |
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