The 1948–49 Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team represented the University of Illinois. Regular season The 1948-49 squad, led by Dike Eddleman, Bill Erickson, and Walter Osterkorn, was Illinois’ first 20-game winner since 1908, finishing 21-4. Illinois beat Yale, 71-67, to advance to a national semifinal showdown with Kentucky at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Illini fell to the Wildcats, 76-47, forcing Illinois to defeat Oregon State, 57-53, in Seattle for third place. Roster Source 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"|NCAA tournament |- NCAA basketball tournament Eastern Illinois 71, Yale 67 Final Four Kentucky 76, Illinois 47 Third-place game Illinois 57, Oregon State 53 Rankings Player stats Awards and honors Dwight Eddleman Converse 1st team All-American (1949) Associated Press 2nd team All-American (1949) United Press International 2nd team All-American (1949) Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball award (1949) Big Ten Player of the Year (1949) Fighting Illini All-Century team (2005) Team Most Valuable Player Bill Erickson Consensus 2nd team All-American (1949) Helms 1st team All-American (1949) Collier's Weekly 1st team All-American (1949) National Association of Basketball Coaches 1st team All-American (1949) United Press International 3rd team All-American (1949) Sporting News 3rd team All-American (1949) Converse Honorable Mention All-American (1949) Team players drafted into the NBA Rankings References Illinois Fighting Illini Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball seasons NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons Illinois 1948 in sports in Illinois 1949 in sports in Illinois