| Mode: | Basketball |
| Year: | 2021–22 |
| Team: | Illinois Fighting Illini |
| Conference: | Big Ten Conference |
| Short Conf: | Big Ten |
| Coachrank: | 19 |
| Aprank: | 19 |
| Record: | 23–10 |
| Conf Record: | 15–5 |
| Hc Year: | 5th |
| Ac1 Year: | 1st |
| Asst Coach2: | Tim Anderson |
| Ac2 Year: | 1st |
| Asst Coach3: | Geoff Alexander |
| Ac3 Year: | 1st |
| Champion: | Big Ten regular season co-champions |
| Tourney Result: | Second Round |
| Off Scheme: | Spread |
| Def Scheme: | On-the-Line-Up-the-Line, Man |
| Captain: | Kofi Cockburn |
| Captain2: | Trent Frazier |
The 2021–22 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by fifth-year head coach Brad Underwood, the Illini played their home games at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 23–10, 15–5 in Big Ten play to finish in a two-way tie for the regular-season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they were defeated by No. 9 seed Indiana in the Quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 4 seed in the South Region, where they defeated Chattanooga in the First Round before losing to Houston in the Second Round.
In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Illini finished the 2020–21 season 24–7, 16–4 in Big Ten play to finish in second place. They defeated Rutgers, Iowa, and Ohio State to win the Big Ten tournament and receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region, they defeated Drexel in the First Round before being upset by No. 8-seeded Loyola–Chicago.
Illini big man Kofi Cockburn declared for the 2021 NBA draft, before ultimately withdrawing and entering the transfer portal. After considering offers from Kentucky and Florida State, he opted to return to Illinois.[1]
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zach Griffith | 4 | F | 6'6" | 220 | Senior | Graduated | ||
| Edgar Padilla Jr. | 10 | G | 6'1" | 165 | Freshman | Transferred to Pensacola State | ||
| 11 | G | 6'5" | 200 | Junior | Declared for the 2021 NBA draft; selected 38th overall pick by the Chicago Bulls[2] | |||
| 15 | F | 6'9" | 245 | Junior | Undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft[3] | |||
| Tyler Underwood | 32 | G | 6'2" | 180 | Graduate Student | Graduated | ||
| Jermaine Hamlin | 34 | C | 6'10" | 235 | Sophomore | Transferred to Eastern Illinois[4] | ||
| 44 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Freshman | Transferred to LSU[5] |
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omar Payne | 4 | F | 6'10" | 240 | Junior | Florida | ||
| 11 | G | 6'1" | 180 | Graduate Student | Utah |
Note: While Dain Dainja is listed on the Illini 2021-22 roster site, he is not listed in the 2021-22 record book. Jacob Grandison, while listed as a graduate student, is a redshirt senior for eligibility purposes.
|-!colspan=9 style=""| Exhibition|-!colspan=9 style=""| Regular season|-!colspan=9 style=""| Big Ten tournament|-!colspan=9 style=""| NCAA tournamentSource[6]
See also: 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings. *AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.