Ryan Pedon is building something in Normal, and the Valley is starting to notice. The Redbirds won 20 games in 2025-26, defended their way into the NIT — hosting Kent State in March — and enter the 2026-27 season with the kind of roster continuity mid-major programs dream about. Chase Walker and Johnny Kinziger, the program's two offensive stars, both stuck around when they could have left, and the preseason buzz that followed Illinois State into last fall has only grown.
Walker is the centerpiece. The 6-foot-9 junior from Columbus, Ohio, is a 280-pound paint force who anchored the Redbirds' NIT push and battled the MAC's Delrecco Gillespie — an 18-and-11 all-conference force for Kent State — on even terms in March. When Walker is on the floor, Illinois State's offense has an identity: inside-out, physical, and relentless on the offensive glass.
Kinziger is the engine. The 5-foot-11 junior guard from De Pere, Wisconsin, earned All-Missouri Valley honors and gives the Redbirds a primary ball-handler who can score in bunches and run the show. Alongside him, the backcourt is deep: senior Landon Moore, a Bloomington native; graduate big Brandon Lieb, the 7-foot-1 Deerfield product; senior Landon Wolf; and juniors Ty Pence and Ty Blake give Pedon experience at every spot.
The defense is the identity. Last season's Redbirds forced opponents into midrange shots and rode a top-65 defensive true-shooting mark plus strong rebounding to their 20 wins — a formula built for the Valley's rock fights. Sophomores Cameron Barnes and Jack Daugherty add frontcourt depth, and freshmen like Nick Allen, Isaac Ericksen, Mason Klabo, and Ty'Reek Coleman give the program a developmental pipeline behind the veterans.
The mission is the program's white whale: Illinois State's last NCAA Tournament appearance came in 1998, and the back-to-back dances of 1997 and 1998 still stand as the modern standard. The 1985 and 1990 trips round out the program's March history. Twenty-eight years is a long time in Normal — and this is the team built to end the drought.
The heritage runs through Doug Collins. The 1970s Redbird star became the No. 1 overall pick of the 1973 NBA Draft, a four-time NBA All-Star, and one of basketball's most beloved broadcasters — the gold standard every Illinois State player is measured against. The pro pipeline has kept the tradition alive, and the 2017 NIT semifinal team reminded the Valley what a rolling Redbirds squad looks like.
CEFCU Arena is the fortress — 10,000 seats in the Twin Cities, where the Redbird faithful make it one of the Valley's toughest trips when the team is rolling. The student section, the band, the history in the building: it's a classic college-town atmosphere, and Pedon has been explicit that the program needs to convert fringe fans into diehards.
The Valley grind defines the season. Bradley is the blood rival, Indiana State and Drake are the annual measuring sticks, and every February night is a rock fight. The league sent four teams to the NIT last season — Murray State, UIC, Bradley, and Illinois State — a reminder that the Valley's depth is real and the margin for error is thin.
Pedon, in his fifth season, has the program's trajectory pointed straight up: 20 wins, an NIT home game, two stars retained, and a defense-first identity. The 2026-27 Redbirds aren't hoping to contend — they expect to. In a one-bid league, that's everything: three wins in March in St. Louis, and Normal gets its first dance in nearly three decades.
The non-conference schedule sets the tone, and the Valley slate will decide the seeding. But the formula is proven: defend, rebound, ride Walker inside and Kinziger on the ball, and let the home crowd do the rest. The pieces are all here — the only question is whether March finally cooperates.
What defines Illinois State is the chase: Collins' standard, the late-'90s dances, the Twin Cities' loyalty, and a coach who believes the breakthrough is now. The next dance would electrify Normal — and this roster looks like the one to deliver it.
For a program that has watched the tournament from home since 1998, the 2026-27 season carries the weight of expectation and the promise of something special. Pedon's process-first message — focus on the daily work, let the results take care of themselves — has the locker room bought in. The Valley is wide open, the Redbirds are veteran, and the drought's days may finally be numbered.
The portal era has rewarded programs that keep their stars, and Illinois State's retention of Walker and Kinziger was the Valley's quiet headline of the offseason. In a league where rosters turn over violently every spring, continuity is a competitive advantage — Pedon knows his rotation, his defense is installed, and his best players are juniors, not freshmen. That stability is why the preseason polls keep circling Normal.
The goal is clear: win the league, win in St. Louis, and bring the NCAA Tournament back to Normal for the first time in 28 years. The 20-win season was the announcement. This is the follow-through — a veteran team, a defense-first identity, and a fanbase ready to erupt. The Redbirds' time is now.