1978–79 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

The 1978–79 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois.

Regular season
In 1978-79 season, Illinois finished seventh in the Big Ten, but went 19-11 overall, including ascension to No. 2 in the national polls after starting the year 15-0. During this season, Illinois upset top-ranked Michigan State and Magic Johnson, 57-55, in one of the school’s most memorable games. It was during this season that Illinois also led the nation in field-goal percentage defense (.404).

Schedule
Source !colspan=12 style="background:#DF4E38; color:white;"| Non-Conference regular season

!colspan=9 style="background:#DF4E38; color:#FFFFFF;"| Big Ten regular season



Awards and honors

 * Eddie Johnson
 * Fighting Illini All-Century team (2005)
 * Mark Smith
 * Team Most Valuable Player