The 2015 Illinois State men’s basketball team was invited to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and earned a No. 4 seed. Illinois State hosted its first round game with UW-Green Bay at Redbird Arena on Wednesday, March 20.

The Redbirds pulled away in the final minutes and defeated Green Bay 69-56. The win for ISU was the first in the NIT since the 2011–12 season, when the Redbirds beat Ole Miss 96-93 in overtime. The last time ISU won a home game in the NIT was in the 2007–08 season when they beat Utah State 61-57 inside Redbird Arena. In the 2007–08 season the Redbirds hosted two NIT games; ISU lost the second game to Dayton, 48-55.

The Redbirds will head to Norfolk, Virginia, for their second-round matchup with Old Dominion at 7 p.m. CT Monday, March 23.