ISU Hosts Sycamores in Sunday Afternoon Battle

NORMAL, Ill. – After opening the MVC season with a win at Southern Illinois, the Redbirds return home to CEFCU Arena to do battle with the Indiana State Sycamores on Sunday afternoon in a 4 p.m. tip-off.

QUICK HITTERS

• Illinois State’s 9-3 record is the program’s best 12-game start since the 2012-13 season

• ISU ranks in the top-100 in the NCAA in eight different statistical categories, including ranking 55th in effective field goal percentage, field goal percentage, and scoring defense

• Illinois State forward Chase Walker’s 29 assists are the second-most on the team, as he is one of just 15 players 6-9 or taller to have dished out 29 assists while scoring at least 120 points 

• 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 four players in NCAA Division I basketball since 1980-81 to have scored a scoring average of at least 10 points with shooting splits of at least .645/.500/.636

• 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

• 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 .862 is the 20th-highest active career free throw percentage in NCAA Division I, and 41st-highest among all NCAA divisions

• This season the Redbirds have had 12 runs of nine or more points, including a season-high 21 on November 20 against Rockford

• ISU’s Kinziger has the fifth-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 eight stats categories this season, including: effective field goal percentage (55th), field goal percentage (55th), scoring defense (55th), winning percentage (59th), scoring margin (62nd), three-point percentage defense (62nd), turnovers per game (74th), defensive rebounds per game (95th), 

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.

RARE AIR FOR TY

This season, Ty Pence has put himself into some rare territory, as his season shooting percentages – .636 / .500 / .647 – have him as one of three players in the NCAA since 1980-81 to have shooting splits of at least .645 / .500 / .636 while averaging at least 10 points per game.

TALL DIMES

Chase Walker is second on the Redbird squad this season in assists, and his 29 assists – along with his 130 points – have him as one of 15 players across NCAA Division I this season with at least 29 assists and 130 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.

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.

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.

 

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.

BIG SEASON FOR THE ROOK

Illinois State freshman Ty’Reek Coleman is one of just six freshmen in the country this season to score at least 11.0 points per game with shooting splits of at least .530 / .435 / .685.

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.

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.

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 20th-highest active career free throw percentage in NCAA Division I (minimum of 110 free throw makes). Boden Skunberg ranks 79th 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 120 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.