| Mode: | Basketball |
| Year: | 1948–49 |
| Team: | Illinois Fighting Illini |
| Conference: | Big Ten Conference |
| Short Conf: | Big Ten |
| Aprank: | 4 |
| Record: | 21–4 |
| Conf Record: | 10–2 |
| Hc Year: | 2nd |
| Ac1 Year: | 12th |
| Ac2 Year: | 14th |
| Bowl Result: | Final Four |
The 1948–49 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois.
The 1948-49 squad, led by Dike Eddleman, Bill Erickson, and Walter Osterkorn, was Illinois’ first 20-game winner since 1908, finishing 21-4. Illinois beat Yale, 71-67, to advance to a national semifinal showdown with Kentucky at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Illini fell to the Wildcats, 76-47, forcing Illinois to defeat Oregon State, 57-53, in Seattle for third place.
Source[1] |-!colspan=12 style="background:#DF4E38; color:white;"| Non-Conference regular season
|-!colspan=9 style="background:#DF4E38; color:#FFFFFF;"|Big Ten regular season
|-!colspan=9 style="text-align: center; background:#DF4E38"|NCAA tournament
|-
See main article: 1948–49 NCAA men's basketball rankings.
| Player | Games Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwight Eddleman | 25 | 130 | 69 | 329 |
| Wally Osterkorn | 25 | 90 | 81 | 261 |
| Bill Erickson | 25 | 91 | 79 | 261 |
| Fred Green | 25 | 65 | 24 | 154 |
| Don Sunderlage | 25 | 57 | 39 | 153 |
| Jim Marks | 20 | 53 | 27 | 133 |
| Walt Kersulis | 20 | 43 | 23 | 109 |
| Burdette Thurlby | 17 | 36 | 21 | 93 |
| Van Anderson | 23 | 32 | 8 | 72 |
| Dick Foley | 24 | 24 | 11 | 59 |
| Ted Beach | 14 | 13 | 8 | 34 |
| Roy Gatewood | 9 | 9 | 4 | 22 |
| Richard Brogren | 6 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| Glen Trugillo | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Benton Odum | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Jim Cottrell | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Bill Boyer | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 3 | N/A | Dike Eddleman | Chicago Stags |
See main article: 1948–49 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings.