1906–12: Early years The Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team began play during the
1905–06 season with
Elwood Brown guiding the team to a 9–8 record as their first coach.
Frank L. Pinckney took control of the team before the start of the
1906–07 season. The team would win its first game but lose the next 10 contests. Another coaching change led to
Fletcher Lane being in charge of the team for the
1907–08 season. After starting the season 14–1 in non-conference, Illinois would finish the season losing five of their 11 conference games, ending the year third in the
Western Conference with a 20–6 (6–5) record. Even though Lane led a successful season, his style of coaching was deemed subpar. Former Illini player
Herb Juul was then hired as the head coach of the
1908–09 squad. The Illini would not see the same success as the season prior, finishing the season with a 7–6 (5–6) record. Despite the struggles, Juul became the first coach in Illinois history to return for more than one season. However, the
1909–10 season would be his last as the Illini finished with a 5–4 (5–4) record.
Thomas E. Thompson took the reins before the
1910–11 season. The Illini would finish fourth in the Western Conference after earning a 6–6 (6–5) record. The
1911–12 season was Thompson's last year as head coach of the Illini after they finished with an 8–8 (4–8) record.
1912–20: Ralph Jones era Before the start of the
1912–13 season, Illinois hired former
Purdue head coach,
Ralph Jones. During his three seasons in
West Lafayette, Jones compiled a 32–9 record, while also winning the previous two Western Conference titles. During his first season with Illinois, Jones led the Illini to a 10–6 record which was Illinois' second 10-win season in school history. During the
1914–15 season, Illinois won their first-ever Big Ten title, going 16–0 (12–0). They were retroactively named as the national champion of that season by the
Helms Athletic Foundation and were also retroactively listed as the top team of the season by the
Premo-Porretta Power Poll. They would earn another Big Ten title during the
1916–17 season, sharing it with Minnesota.
1936–47: Douglas Mills era Before the start of the
1936–37 season,
Douglas R. Mills began acting as the head coach and athletic director of the Illinois men's basketball team. In his first season, the Illini finished with a 14–4 (10–2) record, which was good enough to share the Big Ten title with Minnesota. Before
World War II broke out, the Fighting Illini men's basketball program had achieved a status that had never been seen prior. Mills grouped a team of players, all around 6-foot-3, into a nearly undefeatable lineup later known as the "Whiz Kids". The
1941–42 freshman and sophomore lineup of
Arthur Smiley,
Ken Menke,
Andy Phillip,
Gene Vance, Victor Wukovits, and
Art Mathisen dominated the Big Ten by posting a 13–2 conference record and winning the conference title outright. It would be their first unanimous Big Ten championship since 1915. The Illini finished
1942–43 season with a 17–1 (12–0) record, winning their second-straight Big Ten title. Despite being ranked No. 1 in the nation, they opted not to play in the
1943 NCAA tournament after three of their five starters were called to duty in World War II. This team was retroactively ranked as the best team in the country by Premo-Porretta. The
1946–47 season, would be Mills' last season as the head coach of the Illini. The team ended the season with a 14–6 (8–4) record, finishing one game behind
Wisconsin in the Big Ten standings. Under Mills, the Illini compiled a record of 151 wins and 66 losses while winning three conference championships in the process.
1947–67: Harry Combes era Champaign High School basketball coach
Harry Combes was hired to succeed
Doug Mills as Mills left the position to focus on his duties as the
athletic director. Through his first five seasons as head coach, Combes led the Fighting Illini to three NCAA Final Four appearances in
1949,
1951, and
1952. During his tenure as coach, Combes increased the Fighting Illini's offensive output by changing their style of play. Combes implemented
Full-court press defense, causing
turnovers at a high rate which translated into
Fast break points. Combes also oversaw the Illini's move from
Huff Hall to
Assembly Hall in
1963 and during that same season the Illini won a fourth Big Ten Conference championship under Combes. However, the Illini lost to eventual national champion
Loyola (Chicago) in the
Elite Eight of the
1963 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The following
1964–65 season, saw several upset victories over defending national champion
UCLA Bruins and national powerhouse
Kentucky Wildcats at
Memorial Coliseum in
Lexington, Kentucky.
2003–12: Bruce Weber era Bruce Weber served as the head coach of Illinois basketball for nine seasons from 2003 to 2012. After Bill Self left, Illinois AD Ron Guenther hired Weber to coach the Fighting Illini on April 30, 2003. Weber came from
Southern Illinois University (SIU) in Carbondale and was touted as a loyal coach, which was valued by the Illinois AD after both Kruger and Self left Champaign with relatively short tenures. In his five seasons as head coach at SIU, Weber took the Saluki program to the top of the
Missouri Valley Conference, winning league titles in 2002 and 2003. He posted records of 28–8 and 24–7 in his last two seasons, leading the Salukis to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, including a run to the Sweet 16 in 2002 with wins over Texas Tech and Georgia at the
United Center in
Chicago. His .689 (62–28) winning percentage in MVC play ranked 12th in the long history of the league. Weber earned Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors following the 2003 season. Illinois totaled 210 victories under Weber from 2004 to 2012. He ranks third on the Illinois career coaching wins list. He won 67.5 percent of his games while in charge of the Fighting Illini (210–101). Under Weber, the Illini had two Big Ten Championships (2004, 2005), two runner-up finishes (2006, 2009) and seven upper-division finishes. Illinois had five players selected in the NBA draft under Weber, as
Deron Williams (No. 3, Utah Jazz) and
Luther Head (No. 24, Houston Rockets) were taken in the first round of the
2005 NBA draft, and
James Augustine (No. 41, Orlando Magic) and
Dee Brown (No. 46, Utah Jazz) were chosen in the second round of the
2006 NBA draft.
Meyers Leonard was chosen 11th by the
Portland Trail Blazers in the
2012 NBA draft following Weber's final season. Utah's selection of Williams at No. 3 overall in the 2005 lottery made him the highest-drafted player in Illinois history. It took just one season for Weber to etch his name in the Big Ten and Illinois record books after leading the Fighting Illini to its first outright Big Ten title in 52 years during the 2003–04 season. In leading his young team that featured just one senior on the roster, Weber became just the third coach in the history of the Big Ten to win an outright title in his first season. Illinois had to win 10 straight to end the regular season to claim the championship, including six-straight wins on the road. Illinois' 26 wins in 2003–04 tied the fourth-winningest season in school history. Weber also led the Illini to the Sweet 16 with NCAA Tournament victories over Murray State and Cincinnati. In Weber's second year at Illinois, the 2004–05 team finished with a 37–2 record and was the national runner-up in the NCAA tournament. During Illinois' centennial basketball season, the Illini started the year with 29 straight wins, tying for the 12th-best start in NCAA Division I history and the third-best start in Big Ten history. Illinois also secured its second-straight outright Big Ten championship with a 15–1 league record, as Weber became the first coach in Big Ten history to win consecutive outright titles in his first two seasons. Illinois then added a Big Ten tournament championship in addition to its regular season title. The Illini were ranked No. 1 in the nation for 15 straight weeks, including a first-ever No. 1 ranking in the final Associated Press poll. They gained the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and prevailed in one of the most memorable games in NCAA history against Arizona. Down 15 points with around 4 minutes left, the Illini rallied with a run led by Luther Head and Deron Williams. The game was sent into overtime and the Illini pulled off a one-point win to advance to the 2005
Final Four in St. Louis. It was the Fighting Illini's first Final Four Appearance since the 1988–89 season. Against the Louisville Cardinals in the national semifinal game, the Illini posted their final victory of the season. All of the five Illini starters–
Deron Williams,
Luther Head,
Dee Brown,
James Augustine, and
Roger Powell, Jr.–would eventually play in the NBA. Williams and Brown both joined the
Utah Jazz roster, while Luther Head went on to play for the
Sacramento Kings. With all that Illinois accomplished during the season, Weber swept the 2005 National Coach of the Year awards, claiming the following: the Naismith Award, the most prestigious coaching award in college basketball; the Henry Iba Award, presented by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association; and, the Adolph F. Rupp Cup. Weber was also named National Coach of the Year by the NABC, Associated Press, The Sporting News, Basketball Times, CBS/Chevrolet, Victor Awards and Nike Championship Basketball Clinic. Despite losing three starters and 63 percent of its scoring from the 2004–05 NCAA runner-up squad, Weber directed the 2005–06 Illini to a third-consecutive 29-win season, a runner-up finish in the Big Ten, the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and a ranking among the nation's top 17 teams throughout the entire season. The Illini spent the majority of 2005–06 ranked in the Top 10 and recorded 26 wins on the year to tie the fourth-winningest season in school history. The Illini were given a number 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, where they beat Air Force in the opening round, before falling to the University of Washington in the second round. The 2006–07 team finished with a record of 23–12 (9–7) and finished tied for fourth in the Big Ten. With a depleted roster that had six different players combine to miss a total of 58 games due to injury, the Illini still advanced to the NCAA Tournament. They were awarded a 12 seed and lost in the opening round to Virginia Tech. The 2007–08 season was one of the worst seasons in Illinois history, highlighted by a string of close losses. The lone bright spot came as Illinois came on strong to win four of its last five and five of its final seven games, which culminated with a runner-up finish at the Big Ten tournament. Weber's Illini became the first No. 10 seed in the tournament's history to advance to the title game, winning three games in three days with victories over Penn State, No. 17 Purdue, and Minnesota to reach the championship game vs. No. 8 Wisconsin. However, with an overall record of 16–19 (5–13), the Illini were not selected to participate in postseason play. Weber's 2008–09 UI squad was one of the most improved teams in the country finishing with a record of 24–10 (11–7). With 10 more regular season victories than it achieved the year before, Illinois posted the third-biggest turnaround in NCAA Division I and the second-biggest turnaround among BCS programs on the year. The Illini recorded 24 wins, ranking as the 10th winningest season in school history. Illinois was the Big Ten runner-up, earned a No. 5 seed in the 2009 NCAA Tournament, and finished the year ranked 24th in the Pomeroy rankings. The Illini lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to the 12th-seeded Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. During the 2009–10 season, the Illini finished 21–15 (10–8) and finished 5th in the Big Ten. The team was widely considered to be "on the bubble" for the NCAA tournament and missed the tournament field by a narrow margin. The Illini competed in the NIT, falling at home to the Dayton Flyers in the NIT Quarterfinals. Illinois rebounded in 2010–11 to finish 20–14 (9–9) and tied for fourth in the Big Ten. The Illini were selected to join the NCAA tournament as a #9 seed, where they defeated the #8 seeded UNLV Rebels setting up a matchup with the #1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks and former coach Bill Self. Kansas proved to be too much for the Illini, and the season came to an end in the round of 32. In 2011–12, Weber's last as coach of the Illini, the team finished 17–15 (6–12), good for 9th in the conference. The team did not compete in the postseason. Illinois' new AD Mike Thomas fired Weber after the 2011–12 season.
2012–17: John Groce era John Groce was hired by the new athletic director
Mike Thomas on March 28, 2012. During the
2012–13 season, the Illini were the
Maui Invitational champions and later made the
NCAA tournament, losing their second game to the
Miami Hurricanes by a score of 63–59. The Illini spent eight weeks nationally ranked in the
NCAA Division I rankings, and for two weeks were ranked as high as 10th in the country. The
2013–14 season saw major roster turnover, with nine players leaving and nine players joining the program. This season was one to forget, as the Illini would ultimately miss the NCAA Tournament and lose in the second round of the NIT. In
2014, Groce continued Illinois' success in November, improving to 21–0 under Groce and 32–0 overall during the past four seasons. Illinois is the only program in the nation with an undefeated November record dating back to 2011. The 2014–2015 season was once again disappointing for the Illini. Illinois finished with a record of 19–14, finishing tied for 7th place in the Big Ten with a record of 9–9. The Illini were then beaten in the first round of the NIT. The
2015–16 season ended with the fewest total wins in almost 20 years since the 98–99 Lon Kruger crew won only 14 games. Groce's squad finished with a record of 15–19, taking 12th place in the Big Ten and receiving no post-season tournament invitations. The
2016–17 season was another disappointing season for the Fighting Illini, as they finished the season at 18–14 and 8–10 in the conference, failing to make the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year. On March 11, 2017, the university announced via press release that Groce had been relieved of his duties as head men's basketball coach. The next day, the team was put into the
NIT as a 2-seed. The team was coached during the NIT by interim coach
Jamall Walker, making it to the quarterfinals before being eliminated by the
University of Central Florida.
2017–present: Brad Underwood era On March 18, 2017, Brad Underwood was hired by athletic director Josh Whitman. Underwood previously coached at
Stephen F. Austin from 2013 to 2016, before spending one year at
Oklahoma State. In
Underwood's first season at Illinois, the team won each of their first five contests. After beginning conference play 0–8, they ended the season with a record of 14–18. While the
2018–19 season featured the debut of key pieces including
Ayo Dosunmu,
Giorgi Bezhanishvili,
Andrés Feliz, and
Alan Griffin, the Illini posted one of the worst records in program history at 12–21 (7–13 in Big Ten). Despite the poor record, Illinois had many memorable moments such as upsetting #9
Michigan State at home and Bezhanishvili scoring 35 points against
Rutgers, breaking the Illini record for most points by a freshman in a single game. The
2019–20 season was the freshman year of highly ranked center
Kofi Cockburn. The Illini started the season slow in the first game, barely beating
Nicholls State 78–70 in overtime. During the ACC–Big Ten Challenge, Illinois played
Miami where they lost 81–79 after they mounted a huge comeback before a charge was called against Dosunmu on the game's final play. The next game they traveled to
College Park to play against #3
Maryland. The Illini led by 14 at the half, but Maryland outscored Illinois 34–19 in the second half and won the game by an
Anthony Cowan free throw. The Illini next played #5
Michigan at the State Farm Center. They would beat the Wolverines 71–62 to improve to 7–3 on the season. Over the next 12 games, the Illini went 10–2, including Dosunmu's game-winning shot during their second matchup against Michigan to give Illinois a 64–62 lead with half a second left on the clock. Illinois would finish the season with a 21–10 (13–7) record which would be good enough for 4th in the
Big Ten. They would also finish ranked 21st in the
AP Poll and 22nd in the
Coaches Poll. The
2020–21 season that Underwood finally had mostly his recruits running the team and it certainly showed on the court. After much deliberation, Ayo Dosunmu returned to Illinois for his junior season instead of going to the NBA. He, along with Kofi Cockburn, helped make Illinois into a top-10 team. They went 16-4 (0.800) in the B1G conference but had a worse record than Michigan (14-3, 0.824), and therefore did not earn even a share of the title. This title was disputed as Michigan had failed to play three extra games because of COVID protocols, and only one loss in those three games would have given Illinois the title; Illinois had beaten Michigan by 23 without leading scorer Ayo Dosunmu in Ann Arbor. The team went on to win the Big Ten tournament title, however, after a hard-fought, overtime 91–88 win over OSU. Illinois became a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the 4th time in school history. They were upset by Loyola-Chicago in the 2nd round and finished the season 24–7. Dosunmu became the first player in Illini history to earn 1st-team All-America honors by the AP. Cockburn was named to the AP All-American 2nd-team. Before the
2021–22 season, Underwood's assistant coaching staff completely turned over, with
Chin Coleman and
Orlando Antigua going to Kentucky and Stephen Gentry returning to Gonzaga. Ayo Dosunmu was drafted by the Chicago Bulls and
Adam Miller transferred to LSU, leading to
André Curbelo being expected to serve as the primary ball handler. Unfortunately, Curbelo suffered a concussion prior to the season opener that would continue to affect him throughout the season. The team was led by fifth-year players
Trent Frazier and
Da'Monte Williams. Kofi Cockburn returned for his junior year but was suspended for the first three games for selling his team jerseys during the off-season. The team tied with Wisconsin for a share of the Big Ten regular season title, with a record of 15-5. Due to the tiebreaker rules, the team was seeded first in the Big Ten Tournament but lost its first game to ninth-seeded Indiana. The team was given the #4 seed in the South region of the NCAA tournament. After a 54-53 victory against Chattanooga, the team lost in the second round to Houston. Cockburn was named to the AP All-American 1st-team. The roster suffered from some major turnover before the
2022–23 season, with five players transferring out of the program, four players graduating, and Kofi Cockburn electing to stay in the NBA draft (and ultimately going undrafted). Three players transferred into the program and six freshmen were recruited. As a result of the roster changes, the team would be led by
Terrence Shannon Jr. and
Coleman Hawkins. The Illini would secure two major wins in non-conference play, beating #8 UCLA in the
Continental Tire Main Event semifinal and #2 Texas in the
Jimmy V Classic. Both Zacharie Perrin and Skyy Clark left the program during the season. Ultimately the season was a step back for the program, as due to tiebreaker rules, the team received a seven seed and lost to Penn State in their first game of the Big Ten Tournament. The team then received the #9 seed in the West region and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Arkansas. For the first time since Underwood's second season, the team finished the season unranked in the AP Poll. The
2023-24 season would be one to remember. Three pivotal graduate transfers,
Marcus Domask,
Quincy Guerrier, and
Justin Harmon joined the team, with Domask and Guerrier starting most games. The Illini went on an undefeated trip to Spain and then beat #1 ranked Kansas in a televised exhibition game. The team lost only two games to non-NCAA tournament teams, once to Penn State and once to Maryland. After finishing second in the Big Ten standings, the team ultimately won the Big Ten Tournament, prevailing over Wisconsin. The team was selected to the NCAA tournament as the #3 seed in the East region. For the first time in Underwood's tenure, the team made the Sweet Sixteen, where it beat the #2 seed, Iowa State. For the first time since the 2004–05 season, the team made the Elite Eight, where it lost to #1-overall and eventual national champion UConn. Major turnover again beset the Illini prior to the
2024-25 season. Terrence Shannon Jr. was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves and every scholarship player from the prior season save two, Ty Rodgers (who ultimately redshirted) and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, left the program. Assistant coaches
Chester Frazier and Tim Anderson left the program, leading to the return of Orlando Antigua and the temporary promotion of Kwa Jones. The Illini had one of its strongest freshmen classes in its history, including 2025 first round picks
Kasparas Jakučionis and
Will Riley. Following a season plagued by injury and illness, the Illini made the NCAA Tournament as the #6 seed in the Midwest region. The team won its first game against Xavier and then lost the following game to Kentucky. The
2025–26 season saw the Illini build on the program's renewed momentum. Illinois finished the regular season with a 28–9 overall record and a 15–5 mark in Big Ten play. The team was selected to the NCAA Tournament as the #3 seed in their region, led in part by standout freshman
Keaton Wagler. Illinois opened tournament play with a dominant 105–70 victory over #14 Penn on March 19, followed by a 76–55 win over #11 VCU in the second round on March 21. In the Sweet Sixteen on March 26, the Illini knocked out #2 Houston 65–55, advancing to the Elite Eight for the second time in the past three seasons. There, they defeated #9 Iowa 71–59 on March 2, which sent the team to the Final Four for the first time since the 2004–05 season. In the Final Four, the Illini fell to #2 UConn 71–62, ending their season.
Records by Coach ==Championships==