Illinois State opened the 2025-26 season with high expectations as preseason MVC favorites but fell 92-65 to Illinois in their debut.
by Alan LookBest Look Magazine
Illustration: Alan Look Photography
NORMAL - For the Illinois State men’s basketball program, the 2025-26 season began with a roar of expectation not heard in Normal, Illinois, for more than two decades. Head coach Ryan Pedon has meticulously rebuilt the program, culminating in a seismic announcement just weeks ago: The Redbirds were voted preseason favorites to win the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), a distinction they had not earned since the 2001-02 season. The MVC media and coaches, giving the Redbirds 34 of 46 first-place votes, clearly bought into a deep, experienced core of returning talent. With a 22-win season and a CBI championship run in their rearview mirror, the Redbirds appeared ready to shed their 26-year NCAA Tournament drought. The stage for their highly anticipated season debut was set just an hour’s drive southeast — a trip across I-74 to face the storied Illinois Fighting Illini at the State Farm Center. This was the moment for Pedon’s program to show its MVC hype could translate into Big Ten power. For a moment, it did. The Redbirds battled hard, trading blows with the Illini and holding the score to a 9-9 tie early in the contest. But the moment proved fleeting. The firepower and depth of the Big Ten’s No. 17-ranked squad quickly became too much. The game unraveled into a decisive 92-65 rout for Illinois — a lopsided final that served as a harsh, yet perhaps necessary, reality check. The 27-point road defeat was a stark reminder that being the top dog in the Valley and competing with the nation’s elite are two different battles. For Illinois State, the dream is not derailed — it is simply deferred. The Redbirds return to Normal with their eyes fixed on the MVC prize but with a clear understanding of the climb that remains before they can compete on the national stage.
