2025–26 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team
| 2025–26 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball | |
|---|---|
Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational (Imagination Bracket) Champion | |
| Conference | Missouri Valley Conference |
| Record | 9–3 (1–0 MVC) |
| Head coach |
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| Associate head coach | Jason Slay |
| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Doug Collins Court at CEFCU Arena |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belmont | 2 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 12 | – | 1 | .923 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Iowa | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 9 | – | 2 | .818 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Murray State | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 9 | – | 3 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 9 | – | 3 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bradley | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 8 | – | 4 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Valparaiso | 0 | – | 0 | – | 6 | – | 5 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana State | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 7 | – | 5 | .583 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drake | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 6 | – | 6 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 6 | – | 6 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Evansville | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 4 | – | 8 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UIC | 0 | – | 2 | .000 | 4 | – | 7 | .364 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 MVC tournament winner As of December 19, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025–26 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team represents Illinois State University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Redbirds play their home games at Doug Collins Court at CEFCU Arena in Normal, Illinois as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC).
Previous season
The Redbirds finished the 2024–25 season 22–14, 10–10 in the Missouri Valley Conference play to finish in a tie for fifth place. As the fifth seed in the MVC tournament, they defeated twelfth seed Missouri State in the opening round but were beaten by fourth seed Belmont in the quarterfinal round.
Offseason
Departures
| Name | # | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalton Banks | 3 | G | 6'2" | 190 | Graduate | Eau Claire, WI | Graduated (undrafted; signed with BC Margveti Tbilisi) |
| Malachi Poindexter | 1 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Graduate | Mineral, VA | Graduated (undrafted) |
| Caden Boser | 33 | F | 6'8" | 225 | Fifth Year | Eau Claire, WI | Graduated (undrafted) |
| Jordan Davis | 5 | G | 6'4" | 205 | Fifth Year | La Crosse, WI | Graduated (undrafted) |
| Nick Feather | 31 | F | 6'8" | 280 | Freshman | Heyworth, IL | |
| Cade Norris | 2 | G | 6'4" | 205 | Freshman | Hilliard, OH | Transferred to Samford |
2025 recruiting class
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Allen C |
Bourbonnais, IL | Bradley-Bourbonnais Community HS | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Aug 26, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: (NR) | ||||||
| Ty'Reek Coleman G |
Aurora, IL | Waubonsie Valley HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Aug 26, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: (NR) | ||||||
| Isaac Ericksen F |
Cary, NC | Green Level HS | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Aug 26, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: (NR) | ||||||
| Mason Klabo G |
Fargo, ND | Davies HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Sep 16, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: (NR) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: | ||||||
Sources:
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Incoming transfers
| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Prior school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landon Moore | G | 6'3" | 200 | Senior | Bloomington, IL | Butler |
Preseason
The Redbirds were picked to finish in first place in the conference's preseason poll.[1]
Roster
| 2025–26 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schedule and results
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition Season | |||||||||||
| October 19, 2025* 2:00 pm, BTN+ |
at No. 17 Illinois | L 65–92 | 16 – Daugherty | 4 – Coleman | 3 – Tied | State Farm Center (15,180) Champaign, Illinois | |||||
| October 29, 2025* 7:00 pm, BTN+ |
at Northwestern | L 65–100 | 13 – Walker | 5 – Tied | 4 – Walker | Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Illinois | |||||
| Non-Conference Regular Season | |||||||||||
| November 6, 2025* 6:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Ohio | L 68–72 | 0–1 |
15 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Convocation Center (3,831) Athens, Ohio | ||||
| November 9, 2025* 1:00 pm, ESPN+ |
Cornell | W 76–65 | 1–1 |
24 – Coleman | 10 – Lieb | 2 – Tied | CEFCU Arena (4,086) Normal, Illinois | ||||
| November 14, 2025* 6:30 pm, Peacock |
vs. USC Experian Hall of Fame Series – Los Angeles |
L 67–87 | 1–2 |
16 – Coleman | 9 – Walker | 2 – Tied | Intuit Dome (7,554) Inglewood, California | ||||
| November 16, 2025* 6:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Long Beach State | W 82–80 | 2–2 |
19 – Tied | 7 – Walker | 4 – Pence | Walter Pyramid (1,480) Long Beach, California | ||||
| November 20, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ |
Rockford | W 93–48 | 3–2 |
14 – Daugherty | 10 – Lieb | 3 – Coleman | CEFCU Arena (3,127) Normal, Illinois | ||||
| November 23, 2025* 4:00 pm, ESPN+ |
Coastal Carolina | W 94–42 | 4–2 |
16 – Tied | 7 – Skunberg | 5 – Klabo | CEFCU Arena (3,512) Normal, Illinois | ||||
| November 27, 2025* 12:30 pm, ESPN2 |
vs. Charlotte Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational (Imagination Bracket) semifinal |
W 79–69 | 5–2 |
22 – Skunberg | 10 – Skunberg | 4 – Kinziger | State Farm Field House (533) Kissimmee, Florida | ||||
| November 28, 2025* 2:00 pm, ESPN2 |
vs. Furman Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational (Imagination Bracket) final |
W 72–65 | 6–2 |
20 – Pence | 10 – Pence | 4 – Coleman | State Farm Field House (502) Kissimmee, Florida | ||||
| December 3, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ |
Eastern Kentucky | W 89–78 | 7–2 |
21 – Kinziger | 8 – Skunberg | 5 – Tied | CEFCU Arena (4,179) Normal, Illinois | ||||
| December 6, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ |
Chicago State | W 95–53 | 8–2 |
16 – Tied | 11 – Lieb | 9 – Walker | CEFCU Arena (3,881) Normal, Illinois | ||||
| December 13, 2025* 4:00 pm, YouTube |
vs. Utah State Salt Lake Slam |
L 78–83 | 8–3 |
21 – Pence | 4 – Pence | 5 – Kinziger | Delta Center (2,539) Salt Lake City, Utah | ||||
| Conference Regular Season | |||||||||||
| December 18, 2025 8:00 pm, MVC TV/ESPN+ |
at Southern Illinois | W 75–68 | 9–3 (1–0) |
22 – Pence | 8 – Wolf | 5 – Walker | Banterra Center (3,923) Carbondale, Illinois | ||||
| December 21, 2025 4:00 pm, Marquee/ESPN+ |
Indiana State | CEFCU Arena Normal, Illinois | |||||||||
| December 29, 2025 8:00 pm, MVC TV/ESPN+ |
at Drake | The Knapp Center Des Moines, Iowa | |||||||||
| January 1, 2026 2:00 pm, ESPN+ |
Evansville | CEFCU Arena Normal, Illinois | |||||||||
| January 7, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Valparaiso | Athletics-Recreation Center Valparaiso, Indiana | |||||||||
| January 10, 2025 TBA, TBD |
UIC | CEFCU Arena Normal, Illinois | |||||||||
| January 14, 2026 6:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Indiana State | Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana | |||||||||
| January 17, 2026 TBA, TBD |
Bradley I–74 Rivalry |
CEFCU Arena Normal, Illinois | |||||||||
| January 21, 2026 TBA, TBD |
Northern Iowa | CEFCU Arena Normal, Illinois | |||||||||
| January 25, 2026 2:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Belmont | Curb Event Center Nashville, Tennessee | |||||||||
| January 28, 2026 8:00 pm, MVC TV/ESPN+ |
at Murray State | CFSB Center Murray, Kentucky | |||||||||
| February 3, 2025 6:00 pm, MVC TV/ESPN+ |
Southern Illinois | CEFCU Arena Normal, Illinois | |||||||||
| February 6, 2026 TBA, TBD |
Drake | CEFCU Arena Normal, Illinois | |||||||||
| February 9, 2026 TBA, ESPN+ |
at Evansville | Ford Center Evansville, Indiana | |||||||||
| February 12, 2026 6:00 pm, MVC TV/ESPN+ |
Valparaiso | CEFCU Arena Normal, Illinois | |||||||||
| February 15, 2026 TBA, TBD |
at UIC | Credit Union 1 Arena Chicago, Illinois | |||||||||
| February 18, 2026 TBA, TBD |
Murray State | CEFCU Arena Normal, Illinois | |||||||||
| February 21, 2026 TBA, TBD |
at Bradley I–74 Rivalry |
Carver Arena Peoria, Illinois | |||||||||
| February 25, 2026 TBA, TBD |
at Northern Iowa | McLeod Center Cedar Falls, Iowa | |||||||||
| March 1, 2026 TBA, TBD |
Belmont Senior Day |
CEFCU Arena Normal, Illinois | |||||||||
| Conference Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 5–8, 2026* TBA, CBS/ CBSSN/ MVC TV Network/ESPN+ |
vs. TBD Arch Madness |
Enterprise Center St. Louis, Missouri | |||||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time Zone. | |||||||||||
Source[2]
References
- ^ "Illinois State Picked as MVC Men's Basketball Preseason Favorite". Missouri Valley Conference Sports. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ "2025–26 Men's Basketball Schedule". goredbirds.com. Illinois State University Athletics. Retrieved October 18, 2025.