Illinois basketball: 5 best seasons in Fighting Illini history, ranked

Illinois basketball reaches Elite 8 in 1983-1984.

Perhaps overshadowed by another great Illini team in the ’80s, this team was nothing short of special in their own right. Another one of Illinois’ Big Ten championship teams, the Illini entered the Top-25 in the fifth poll of the season and never fell below No. 20.

Led by head coach Lou Henson and players Efrem Winters and Bruce Douglas, the ’83-’84 team had three different winning streaks of six or more games and fell to No. 2 Kentucky by just two during the regular season. The team outscored their opponent by over ten points a game while crushing their opponents in rebounding and assists. This multi-dimensional team was a juggernaut on the offensive end of the floor.

While they struggled to close out close games against ranked teams, the Illini were able to beat No. 19 Purdue by 24 perhaps marking their biggest win of the year. As there was no Big Ten tournament at this time, the Illini won the Big Ten outright by finishing first in the regular season and set themselves up for a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament.

After defeating Villanova and Maryland respectively, the Illini ultimately fell to the Kentucky Wildcats with a trip to the Final Four on the line in Lexington, KY. The second loss to the Wildcats that year was heartbreaking for the Illini but proved that the Illini were there to stay in college basketball for years to come.

Although they played their way to the Elite Eight, this was only good enough for the third spot on the list.