Redbird men’s basketball will tip off MVC play December 23 at Evansville, marking ISU’s first league-opener on the road since the 2013-14 season. Having won 15-consecutive games against conference opponents on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena, Illinois State will try to extend its winning streak when the Redbirds begin the home-league schedule December 31 versus Indiana State in Normal, Illinois.
In another MVC home game, the Redbirds will host Bradley Jan. 17 as part of the I-74 Rivalry Series. ISU will later travel to Peoria, Illinois, Feb. 14 to face the Braves. Illinois State and MVC-addition Valparaiso are scheduled to meet in Normal Jan. 27. The Redbirds will visit the reigning Horizon League-champion Crusaders in Valparaiso, Indiana, Feb. 11.
ISU will host its final MVC home game of the season Feb. 21 versus Drake, followed by the regular-season finale February 24 at Loyola Chicago. The Redbirds will then travel to the 2018 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament – March 1 through March 4 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis–where ISU will vie for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Redbird women’s basketball will open conference play Sunday, December 31, when they welcome Bradley to Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena for the annual I-74 Rivalry Series, which will be the program’s 10th-straight year they open the Valley season at home, and the second-consecutive year Illinois State opens with the Braves. The Redbirds then hit the road for contests at Valparaiso (January 5), the newest member of the conference, and at Loyola Chicago (January 7). The following weekend Illinois State returns home to host Missouri State (January 12) and Southern Illinois (January 14), before heading back to Indiana for games at Evansville (January 19) and Indiana State (January 21).
February begins with a four-game home stand inside Redbird Arena. The Redbirds first play defending conference champion Drake (January 26) and Northern Iowa (January 28), which concludes the first half of the conference schedule, before playing their return games against Loyola (February 2) and Valparaiso (February 4). Illinois State returns to the road the following weekend to play Southern Illinois (February 9) and Missouri State (February 11), before concluding the home portion of the schedule against Indiana State (February 16) and Evansville (February 18).
The Redbirds end the regular season with three-consecutive road tilts, as they end the month of February with trips to Northern Iowa (February 23) and Drake (February 25), while the return game in the I-74 Rivalry Series is slated for Saturday, March 3, at Bradley. For the third-consecutive season, the MVC Tournament will be held in Moline, Illinois, inside the iWireless Center, March 8-11.
Redbird basketball’s annual Hoopfest is set for Friday, October 20, to kick off the seasons for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams. The event is free to attend.
To purchase basketball season tickets, fans are encouraged to contact the Illinois State Athletics Ticket Office either online by navigating to GoRedbirds.com/Tickets, in-person by entering through the north doors to Redbird Arena, or over the phone by calling (309) 438-8000.
