Fighting Illini Men's Basketball History 1* National Title 1915 * Illinois was retroactively named national champion for 1915 by the Helms Athletic Foundation. 5 NCAA Final Fours 1949, 1951, 1952, 1989, 2005 35* NCAA Tournament Appearances 1942, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1963, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 * Illinois elected not to participate in the 1943 NCAA Tournament after three starters were drafted and entered military service following the final regular-season game … Illinois would have participated in the 2020 NCAA Tournament, but it was canceled one week prior due to COVID-19. 18* Big Ten Regular Season Championships 1915, 1917, 1924, 1935, 1937, 1942, 1943, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1963, 1984, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2022 * Illinois led the Big Ten in wins while playing the full conference schedule in 2021, but because of an uneven number of games played, finished as runner-up by a winning percentage differential of .024 4 Big Ten Tournament Championships 2003, 2005, 2021, 2024 Winningest Seasons – By Total Wins 1. 37 2005 2. 31 1989 3. 29 2024 4. 27 2001 5. 26 2006 26 2004 26 2002 26 1985 26 1984 10. 25 2003 Winningest Seasons – By Win Percentage 1. 1.000 16-0 1915 2. .949 37-2 2005 3. .944 17-1 1943 4. .861 31-5 1989 5. .846 22-4 1952 6. .840 21-4 1949 7. .839 26-5 1984 8. .818 18-4 1956 .818 18-4 1953 10. .815 22-5 1951 Winningest Big Ten Seasons – By Total Wins 1. 16 2021 2. 15 2022 15 2005 15 1984 5. 14 2024 14 1989 14 1953 8. 13 2020 13 2004 13 2001 13 1998 13 1987 13 1951 13 1942 Winningest Big Ten Seasons – By Win Percentage 1. 1.000 12-0 1943 1.000 12-0 1915 3. .938 15-1 2005 4. .929 13-1 1951 5. .867 13-2 1942 6. .857 12-2 1952 7. .833 15-3 1984 .833 10-2 1949 .833 10-2 1937 .833 10-2 1917