McLean County Times

The Illinois State men's basketball team is set to open its 2025-26 home season against Cornell on Sunday, November 9 at CEFCU Arena in Normal, Illinois. The game will tip off at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ as well as the Illinois State Radio Network.

Illinois State enters the new season as the preseason favorite in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), according to the conference's coach's poll. The Redbirds return a significant portion of their roster, with players who combined for 1,786 points last season, representing over 65 percent of the team's scoring. This is among the top five returning totals in NCAA Division I basketball.

Cornell’s roster includes three players from Illinois: Jax Abalos, Jake Fiegen, and Cooper Noard.

Last season, Illinois State broke its own single-season record for three-point field goals made with 341, surpassing the previous mark of 301 set during the 2017-18 season. The Redbirds also posted an effective field goal percentage of .563, which ranked them 13th nationally.

Junior guard Johnny Kinziger has established himself as one of the most reliable free throw shooters in college basketball. Over his career at Illinois State, he has maintained a free throw percentage of .884. "Johnny Kinziger's career free throw percentage of .884 is the fifth-highest active free throw percentage in NCAA Division I, and ninth-highest among all NCAA divisions," according to team information.

Sophomore forward Chase Walker was a key contributor last season with 532 points and led with offensive rebounds among sophomores in school history. Walker was also recognized by several publications as a preseason player to watch for this upcoming year.

The duo of Kinziger and Walker combined for over 1,000 points last year—the highest-scoring sophomore pair in program history and second-highest among all NCAA teams that season. "The Illinois State junior duo of Johnny Kinziger and Chase Walker combined for 1,042 points last season...the highest scoring sophomore duo in program history," according to team notes.

Other highlights from last season include ISU's improved ranking in three-point shooting efficiency—jumping more than 300 spots nationally—and a record number of games with low turnovers.

Preseason predictions from outlets such as Mid-Major Madness and Lindy's Basketball Magazine project high expectations for the Redbirds this year. Both have selected ISU to win the MVC title while naming Chase Walker as Preseason Player of the Year and placing Johnny Kinziger on preseason first teams.

The Redbirds are coming off a postseason tournament championship at the Purple CBI held in Daytona Beach, Florida. They hope to build on that success with a strong start at home against Cornell.