1981–82 Northern Illinois Huskies men's basketball team

The 1981–82 Northern Illinois Huskies men's basketball team represented Northern Illinois University during the college basketball season of 1981–82. The team, led by head coach John McDougal, were members of the Mid American Conference (MAC) and played their homes game at the Chick Evans Field House. They finished the season 16–14, 9–7 in MAC play, to finish third in the regular season standings. The Huskies won the MAC tournament to receive an automatic bid to the 1982 NCAA tournament – the first tournament appearance in school history.

Schedule and results
!colspan=9 style=| Regular season

!colspan=9 style=| MAC Tournament

!colspan=9 style=| NCAA Tournament