Men's Basketball Opens MVC Play in Carbondale

CARBONDALE, Ill. - After finishing the 2025-26 regular season with an 8-3 record, the program's best 11-game start since 2012-13, the Illinois State men's basketball teams jumps into MVC play with a road game at Southern Illinois on Thursday evening inside the Banterra Center.

QUICK HITTERS

• Illinois State's 8-3 record is the program's best 11-game start since the 2012-13 season
• ISU saw its seven-game win streak snapped on Saturday against Utah State. The streak was tied for the 12th-longest active win streak in the NCAA, and the 10th-longest streak by the Redbirds since 1967-68
• Redbird freshman Mason Klabo was named the MVC Freshman of the Week on December 8, the second ISU player this season to earn the honor as Ty'Reek Coleman in the season's opening week
• Ty Pence is one of six players in NCAA Division I basketball since 1980-81 to have scored a scoring average above 11.0 points with shooting splits of at least .625/.450/.625
• ISU freshman Ty'Reek Coleman is on a pace with his field goal shooting numbers that only a small handful of freshman in NCAA history have accomplished
• The Redbirds have four different players who have scored 20+ points in a game this season, tied for the most in the MVC through the first week of December, while ISU's 10 players having scored in double-digits are also tied atop the MVC teams
• ISU is one of 33 schools in the country this season to have two freshmen to have scored 17+ points in a single game this season
• Illinois State's 52-point win over Coastal Carolina on November 23 is the 15th-largest margin of victory in the NCAA this season by a NCAA Division I school against a NCAA Division I school
• ISU held Coastal Carolina to just 42 points in their win on November 23, tied for the 10th-fewest points allowed to a NCAA Division I team this season
• Mason Klabo is making 52 percent of his long-range tries, fifth-best among freshmen who have at least nine makes
• Chase Walker's season free throw percentage — .759 — is the 16th-best among college student-athletes standing 6-9 or taller with at least 40 makes
• With his 100 points through the first seven games of the season, Ty'Reek Coleman reached the century mark for a season in the second-fastest time frame in program history
• Redbird freshman Ty'Reek Coleman was named the MVC's opening Freshman of the Week after his performances against Ohio and Cornell
• Johnny Kinziger's career free throw percentage of .870 is the 13th-highest active career free throw percentage in NCAA Division I, and 41st-highest among all NCAA divisions
• This season the Redbirds have had 11 runs of nine or more points, including a season-high 21 on November 20 against Rockford
• ISU's Kinziger has the fourth-highest field goal percentage in the country who have played at least 30 minutes per game, and are under 6-0

REDBIRDS IN THE TOP-100

Illinois State ranks in the top-100 in 15 stats categories this season, including: effective field goal percentage (53rd), field goal percentage (57th), turnovers per game (57th), scoring defense (60th), scoring margin (62nd), winning percentage (67th), three-point percentage defense (70th), three-point percentage (76th), field goal percentage defense (84th), defensive rebounds per game (89th), fouls per game (96th), rebound margin (97th), assist-to-turnover ratio (97th), and three pointers per game (97th).

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

Using a strong week, in which he averaged 16.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game on the week, while making 13-of-18 (72.2 percent) from the field and 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) from long range, Mason Klabo was named the MVC Freshman of the Week. He is just the fourth Redbird to earn this honor, joining teammates Johnny Kinziger (Jan. 29, 2024 and Feb. 26, 2024), Jack Daugherty (Dec. 23, 2025), and Ty'Reek Coleman (Nov. 10, 2025). He led the Redbirds – and all MVC freshmen – in scoring on the week, helping the Redbirds to their seventh and eighth wins of the season. His field goal percentage on the week (.722) was fourth-best in the MVC, and he had the seventh-best three-point field goal percentage in the conference. His scoring average was tied for the 21st-best, his field goal percentage eighth best, and his three-point field goal percentage 11th-best during the week among NCAA by a freshman.

STRONG START FOR TY

Illinois State junior Ty Pence is one of just seven players in the NCAA since at least 1980-81 to have a scoring average above 11.0 with shooting percentages of at least .625 (field goal), .450 (three-point), and .626 (free throw).

TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIPS

With Illinois State's win at the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational, the Redbirds secured their 17th in-season tournament win in program history, the first since 2010-11, and the first outside of Normal since 2008-09.

FOUR WITH 20+

While Illinois State is tied for the highest total in the MVC with 10 players who have scored in double-digits this season, the team is also tied for the top mark with four players who have scored at least 20 points in a game.

2X FRESHMAN SCORING

This season in NCAA Division I basketball there have been 193 freshmen that have scored at least 17 points in a game, with Illinois State being the home of two of those on that list. The Redbirds are one of just 33 schools to have two or more people on that list of 193 student athletes, a list that includes Air Force (3), Alabama, American, Arizona (4), Arkansas, Boston U. (3), Brown (3), Bryant, Cal State Fullerton (3), Colorado, Duke, Fairfield, Hofstra, Houston (3), Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Kennesaw State, Kentucky, Miami (Ohio), New Mexico, North Dakota (3), Northeastern, Northern Illinois, Penn State, Portland, Providence,  Sam Houston State, South Dakota, Stony Brook, UC Irvine, UNC Greensboro, and Valparaiso.

EARLY PERCENTAGES

This season, Ty'Reek Coleman is of to a fast start, as he is averaging 11.9 points per game while making 55 percent of his shots from the field, 45 percent from long range, and just under 70 percent from the free throw line. Since 1980-81, there have been just nine freshmen to have a scoring average of 11.0, and shooting percentages of .550 (FG), .425 (3FG), and .675 (FT) while making at least 10 three-point field goals.

DEEP THREAT

Illinois State freshman Mason Klabo has made 52 percent of his long-range tries this season, making 13-of-25 from beyond the arc. He is one of just five freshmen in the country to have a three-point field goal percentage at .520 or above with at least 13 makes.

BIG MARGINS

In the November 23, 94-42 win over Coastal Carolina, the 52-point margin of victory is tied for the 15th-largest in NCAA Division I this season against a NCAA Division I opponent. Only Gonzaga (72 vs Southern Utah), Georgia (64 vs Md. Eastern Shore), Iowa State (64 vs Alcorn State), UConn (63 vs UMass-Lowell), Louisville (59 vs South Carolina State), Kansas State (59 vs Mississippi Valley State), Illinois (58 vs Jackson State), Duke (58 vs Niagara), Louisville (57 vs NJIT), Miami (56 vs Delaware State), Duke (55 vs Army), Gonzaga (55 vs Texas Southern), Arkansas (54 vs Jackson State), and Ohio State (53, Mount St. Mary's)  have a highest total against a Division I school.

CHARITY STRIPE FOR THE BIG

Illinois State forward Chase Walker is making 75.9 percent of his free throws this season (41-of-54), and among players that are at least 6-9, and have made at least 40 free throws, Walker's percentage is tied for the 16th-best in the country.

GETTING DEFENSIVE

Not only was Illinois State's win over Coastal Carolina one of the top scoring margin totals in the NCAA this season, but by holding the Chanticleers to 42 points, it is tied for the 10th-fewest points allowed against a Division I school in the country this season.

OFF TO A FAST START

Through 11 Redbird games, Illinois State freshman Ty'Reek Coleman has scored 119 points. Since the 1972-73 season, when the NCAA started allowing freshman to compete again, only four freshman players in program history - Billy Lewis, Terise Bryson, Cyrus Mann, and Hank Cornley - had scored more points through their first 11 games of the season.

Through 12 games, the freshman record is 198, as Terise Bryson opened his Redbird career with a scoring average of 18.0 with Billy Lewis close behind (14.5).

CLIMBING NCAA CAREER LISTS

Over his two-plus seasons as a Redbird, ISU junior Johnny Kinziger has a career free throw percentage of .870 which is the 13th-highest active career free throw percentage in NCAA Division I and 41st overall in NCAA basketball (minimum of 110 free throw makes). Boden Skunberg ranks 78th among active players in career points, while his 125 games played puts him 28th on the list.

BIG SMALL PERCENTAGE

This season Johnny Kinziger has made nearly half of his 112 field goal attempts, and he is one of five players in the NCAA this season to be shooting .450 or better in 30 or more minutes played per game, all while being under 6-0 tall.

BIG HOME OPENER FOR THE ROOK

In his second game in a Redbird uniform, and the first at home, freshman Ty'Reek Coleman shined, scoring 24 points, which is the 21st-most by a freshman in program history, the second-highest in a home debut by a freshman, and he is one of just 19 freshmen in the NCAA Division I to have had a game scoring total of 24.

WE'RE GOING STREAKING

After finishing the 2025-26 regular season with an 8-3 record, the program's best 11-game start since 2012-13, the Illinois State men's basketball teams jumps into MVC play with a road game at Southern Illinois on Thursday evening inside the Banterra Center.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

Using his strong second game, Illinois State freshman Ty'Reek Coleman was named the MVC Freshman of the Week, just the third Redbird to earn this honor, joining teammates Johnny Kinziger (Jan. 29, 2024 and Feb. 26, 2024) and Jack Daugherty (Dec. 23, 2025).

HIGH EXPECTATIONS

Returning three of its top four scorers from last season, including two All-Missouri Valley Conference selections, the 2025-26 Illinois State men's basketball team — and players on the team — have high expectations put on it from numerous preseason prognostications. Mid-Major Madness, Lindy's Basketball Magazine, Blue Ribbon Basketball Magazine, and the MVC media poll have the Redbirds picked to win the MVC in 2025-26. Mid-Major Madness, Lindy's Basketball Magazine, and Blue Ribbon all have returning forward Chase Walker named as the Preseason Player of the Year, while Johnny Kinziger was named to the Preseason First Team by Blue Ribbon Basketball Magazine and Lindy's Basketball Magazine. The Field of 68 ranked Illinois State as the #3 Mid-Major Team in the country in their preseason poll, while also naming Walker the Mid-Major Preseason Player of the Year.

RETURNING SCORING

The Redbirds return players that combined to score 1,786 points from last season — 65.49 percent of the team's scoring — which is the fifth-highest total in the NCAA returning, and the team's returning scoring percentage is 10th-best heading into the 2025-26 season.

STAYING TRADITIONAL

Starting in the 2023-24 season, the NCAA started allowing student-athletes to wear non-traditional jersey numbers, outside of the typical 0-5 numbers. In the three seasons' worth of rosters since the adjustment, there have been just 15 schools to not have a "new number" on its rosters. Joining Illinois State on that list include Alabama State, Army West Point, Bethune-Cookman, Binghamton, Central Michigan, Delaware, ETSU, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Mississippi Valley, UMES, Vermont, Western Illinois, and Wright State.