Illinois earns No. 4 seed in 2026 Big Ten Tournament

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The Illini finished the regular season with a 24-7 overall record, the most regular-season wins in the past 20 years. Photo: Saga Communications

CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) — The Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team has secured the No. 4 seed in the 2026 Big Ten Tournament.

Illinois, ranked 11th nationally, will begin tournament play in the quarterfinals on Friday at approximately 1:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network at the United Center in Chicago. The Illini will face the winner of Thursday’s third-round matchup between No. 5 Wisconsin and either No. 12 Washington or No. 13 USC.

The Illini finished the regular season with a 24-7 overall record, the most regular-season wins in the past 20 years, and a 15-5 Big Ten record, tying for the second-most conference wins in program history. Head Coach Brad Underwood now holds the top three and five of the top nine winningest Big Ten seasons in school history.

This marks the fifth time in seven years that Underwood has led Illinois to a top 4 Big Ten seed and a quarterfinal bye. Underwood’s teams have won three Big Ten titles, including tournament championships in 2021 and 2024. Illinois is also the only program with a winning Big Ten record in each of the last seven seasons, and the Illini have recorded seven Quad 1 wins this season.

Illinois is one of only four teams nationally to post 20-win regular seasons in each of the last seven years, joining Gonzaga, Houston, and San Diego State.

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