Men's Basketball Opens New Year Against Aces

NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State Redbirds open the 2026 calendar year on Thursday, when ISU hosts the Evansville Aces in a 2 p.m. matinee inside CEFCU Arena.

QUICK HITTERS

• Illinois State's 11-3 record is the program's best 14-game start since the 2009-10 season
• ISU ranks in the top-100 in the NCAA in 11 different statistical categories, including 32nd in field goal percentage, 37th in effective field goal percentage, and 42nd in scoring defense
• This season is the second time in program history that the Redbirds have 11 wins before the new year
• The Redbirds are 3-0 in the MVC for the ninth time in program history, and the first time since 2016-17
• ISU has out-scored its MVC opponents by 28 points in the second half, the largest margin of any school in the conference
• Illinois State forward Chase Walker's 35 assists are the second-most on the team, as he is one of just nine players 6-9 or taller to have dished out 35 assists while scoring at least 165 points 
• The Redbirds gave up just two offensive rebounds against the Indiana State Sycamores on December 21, tied for the second-fewest in a game in school history, and the 15th-fewest allowed in the country this year
• 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 five players in NCAA Division I basketball since 1980-81 to have scored a scoring average of at least 11 points with shooting splits of at least .630 / .500 / .645
• ISU freshman Ty'Reek Coleman is on a pace with his field goal shooting numbers that only a small handful of freshman in the NCAA this season have reached
• The Redbirds have 11 players that have scored in double-digits, the most in the MVC this season
• Illinois State's 52-point win over Coastal Carolina on November 23 is the 19th-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 11th-fewest points allowed to a NCAA Division I team this season
• For the seventh time in program history, the Redbirds have played in all four time zones within the contiguous United States, having played in the Eastern (at Ohio Univ.), in the Central (home vs Cornell), Mountain (vs Utah State in Salt Lake City), and Pacific (vs USC in Los Angeles)
• This season the Redbirds have had 17 runs of nine or more points, including a season-high 21 on November 20 against Rockford

REDBIRDS IN THE TOP-100

Illinois State ranks in the top-100 in 11 stats categories this season, including: field goal percentage (32nd), effective field goal percentage (37th), scoring defense (42nd), winning percentage (46th), scoring margin (57th), three-point percentage (61st), three-point field goal percentage defense (61st), rebound margin (67th), defensive rebounds per game (75th), field goal percentage defense (85th), and turnovers per game (93rd).

11 WINS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR

In recording their win over Drake on December 29, the Redbirds reached the 11-win plateau before New Year's Day for the first time since 2008-09, and just the second time in program history.

3-0 IN THE MVC

The Redbirds have a 3-0 mark in the MVC for the first time since 2016-17, and ISU has started with wins in its first three conference games nine times (2016-17, 2015-16, 2008-09, 2007-08, 1997-98, 1991-92, 1983-84 and 1982-83).

DEFENSIVELY REBOUNDING

Also against Indiana State, the Redbirds allowed just two offensive rebounds in the game, which is also the second-lowest total in program history, and tied for the 15th-lowest in the NCAA this season. The only game in program history with fewer offensive rebounds allowed was last season, where the Redbirds did not allow an offensive rebound against the Evansville Aces.  This season the Redbirds rank 30th in the NCAA in offensive rebounding percentage, giving up among the fewest offensive rebounds in the country this season, and is the best ranking in the MVC (the next-best MVC school is Belmont at 81st).

SECOND HALF SCORING

In three MVC games this season, Illinois State has out-scored its opponents by 28 points in the second half, the largest margin in the conference.

RARE AIR FOR TY

This season, Ty Pence has put himself into some rare territory, as his season shooting percentages - .630 / .500 / .649 - have him as one of three players in the NCAA since 1980-81 to have shooting splits of at least .630 / .500 / .645 while averaging at least 11 points per game.

TALL DIMES

Chase Walker is second on the Redbird squad this season in assists, and his 35 assists - along with his 165 points - have him as one of nine players across NCAA Division I this season with at least 35 assists and 165 points, while standing 6-9 or taller.

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.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

This year, when the Redbirds competed inside the Delta Center in Salt Lake City (mountain time zone), ISU had played in each of the four time zones in the contiguous United States, opening at Ohio (eastern time zone), and also playing in Los Angeles against USC (western time zone), with home games being played in the central time zone. This season was the first time since 2017-18 that ISU had played in all four time zones in the same season. In 1994-95 ISU played in five different time zones, with games in Hilo, Hawai'i; in Santa Clara, California; Logan Utah; Normal, Illinois; and Terre Haute, Indiana. The team also played in all four time zones in 1966-67, 1973-74, 1975-76, 1989-90

BIG SEASON FOR THE ROOK

Illinois State freshman Ty'Reek Coleman is one of just five freshmen in the country this season to score at least 10.0 points per game with shooting splits of at least .520 / .435 / .675.

BIG MARGINS

On November 23, ISU secured a 52-point, 94-42 win over Coastal Carolina. The 52-point margin of victory is tied for the 19th-largest in NCAA Division I this season against a NCAA Division I opponent. Only Gonzaga (72 vs Southern Utah), Georgia (65 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), Saint Louis (59 vs Bethune-Cookman),  Illinois (58 vs Jackson State), Duke (58 vs Niagara), Louisville (57 vs NJIT), Baylor (57 vs Alcorn State), Miami (56 vs Delaware State), Iowa (55 vs Bucknell), Duke (55 vs Army), Gonzaga (55 vs Texas Southern), Arkansas (54 vs Jackson State), Oklahoma (53 vs Stetson), and Ohio State (53, Mount St. Mary's) have a higher total against a Division I school.

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 11th-fewest points allowed against a Division I school in the country this season.

CLIMBING NCAA CAREER LISTS

Over his two-plus seasons as a Redbird, ISU junior Johnny Kinziger has a career free throw percentage of .855 which is the 31st-highest active career free throw percentage in NCAA Division I (minimum of 110 free throw makes). Boden Skunberg ranks 75th among active players in career points, while his 128 games played puts him 23rd on the list.

BIG SMALL PERCENTAGE

This season Johnny Kinziger has made nearly half of his 137 field goal attempts, and he is one of five players in the NCAA this season to be shooting .460 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

Through 14 games this season, Illinois State has had 17 scoring runs of at least nine consecutive points, with the longest-such mark being the 21-0 first-half run against the Rockford Regents. 

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.