The Wait is Over, The Dream is Deferred: Redbirds' First MVC No. 1 Ranking in 23 Years Meets Illini Reality

 

The Wait is Over, The Dream is Deferred: Redbirds' First MVC No. 1 Ranking in 23 Years Meets Illini Reality

For the Illinois State men's basketball program, the 2025-26 season began with a roar of expectation not heard in Normal, Illinois, for over two decades. Head Coach Ryan Pedon has meticulously built the program back up, culminating in a seismic announcement just weeks ago: The Redbirds were voted the 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 Purple CBI title run in their rearview mirror, the Redbirds were finally ready to shed their 26-year NCAA Tournament drought.

The stage for their highly anticipated season debut was set just an hour's drive South East: a trip across I-74 to face the storied Illinois Fighting Illini at the State Farm Center. This was the moment for Ryan Pedon's program to show their 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 score that served as a harsh, yet perhaps necessary, reality check.

The 27-point defeat on the road is 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. They return to Normal with their eyes firmly fixed on the MVC prize, but with a clear understanding of the climb that remains before they can compete on the national stage.

Graphic by Alan Look Photography