1981–82 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

The 1981–82 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois.

Regular season
The 1982 season brought Illinois another post-season appearance, in the NIT, and an 18-11 record. Derek Harper led the Big Ten in assists and steals.

Schedule
Source

!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"| National Invitation Tournament



Awards and honors

 * Derek Harper
 * Fighting Illini All-Century team (2005)
 * James Griffin & Perry Range
 * Team Co-Most Valuable Players