ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Illinois State men's basketball team was picked second in a poll of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, communication directors, and media.
The Redbirds earned 471 points and seven first-place votes. Murray State is the preseason favorite with 517 points and 32 first place votes while UIC was picked third with 466 points and six first-place votes. Rounding out the top six include Belmont (353 points, one first-place vote), Valparaiso (343 points, one first-place vote), and Bradley (313 points, one first-place vote). Only the top six were listed by the MVC.
Illinois State returns three starters from last season's team that advanced to the NIT Semifinals in Indianapolis, including two-time First Team All-MVC honoree Chase Walker, who averaged 13.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while team assist leader Johnny Kinziger, who averaged 11.5 points with 119 assists last year, also returns. Also, back as a starter is Mason Klabo, who averaged 5.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, while sporting a 40-to-18 assist-to-turnover ratio for the year.
ISU is one of two schools in NCAA Division I basketball to return two players who have scored 1,000 or more points at their institution and are one of just 12 schools in the country to return their top two scorers. The team hosts Northwestern University on Sunday, October 18 in the first of two public exhibitions, while the regular season starts on November 2 when the team travels to Moraga, California, to take on the Saint Mary's Gaels in University Credit Union Pavilion.
