The Illinois State Redbirds are set to face the Evansville Aces on Monday night at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off and will be broadcast on ESPN+. Fans can also follow live stats or tune in to the Illinois State Radio Network.
The Redbirds enter this matchup after splitting their recent two-game homestand. The team has achieved recognition for its defensive performance, ranking among the top 100 NCAA teams in ten statistical categories this season, including 26th in scoring defense and 43rd in defensive rebounds per game.
Illinois State freshman Mason Klabo stands out as one of only four student-athletes nationwide with at least 30 assists and eight or fewer turnovers this season. “ISU ranks in the top-100 in the NCAA in 10 different statistical categories, including 26th in scoring defense, 43rd in defensive rebounds per game, 54th in three-point percentage defense,” according to team notes.
Chase Walker was named Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Player of the Week for the second time this season on January 19. This marks just the eleventh instance a Redbird has earned multiple Player of the Week honors within a single season. During that week, Walker averaged an ISU-best 20.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and recorded his first double-double of the season against Bradley.
Junior Johnny Kinziger recently became ISU’s 47th member of its career 1,000-point club during a road win at Indiana State on January 14. He currently ranks fortieth all-time for school scoring with over a thousand points.
Illinois State’s effective field goal percentage by Ty Pence (.591) is fifth-best for any Redbird since KenPom began tracking individual stats in 2004.
This year’s roster includes two players from North Dakota, giving Illinois State one of the highest representations from that state among Division I programs except for North Dakota itself.
The Redbirds have shown consistent performance throughout games, outscoring Missouri Valley Conference opponents by significant margins both before and after halftime—a feat matched by only two other conference schools this season.
Freshman Ty’Reek Coleman received MVC Freshman of the Week honors earlier this season following a strong home debut where he scored twenty-four points—one of only nineteen freshmen nationally to achieve such a mark so far this year.
Returning three of its top four scorers from last year—including All-MVC selections—the Redbirds were picked by several preseason polls as favorites to win their conference. Chase Walker was highlighted as Preseason Player of the Year by various outlets while Johnny Kinziger was selected for preseason first teams.
According to their official website, Illinois State benefits from resources like the Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund and uses facilities such as OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center to support competitiveness and student-athlete preparation. The team competes across various regions at NCAA Division I events and offers news, schedules, rosters, and fan resources online to engage its athletic community (source). The program is affiliated with Illinois State University (source).
Illinois State’s win over Coastal Carolina earlier this season resulted in one of college basketball’s largest victory margins—a fifty-two point difference—while holding their opponent to forty-two points tied them for fifteenth fewest allowed nationally against Division I competition so far this year.
As they prepare for Monday’s contest against Evansville, Illinois State continues building on what has been one of its strongest starts (source) while maintaining traditional jersey numbering practices despite recent NCAA rule changes.
