# 2018–19 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team represented Illinois State University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Redbirds, led by seventh-year head coach Dan Muller, played their home games at Redbird Arena in Normal, Illinois as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 17–16, 9–9 in conference play, to finish in a tie for the fifth place. As the number seven seed in the MVC tournament, they defeated Evansville in the opening round and were beaten by Drake in the quarterfinal round.

## Previous season

The Redbrids finished the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season 18–15, 10–8 in MVC play, to finish in a tie for third place. They were the number three seed and defeated Missouri State in their quarterfinal game and Southern Illinois in their semifinal game to advance to the championship game of the MVC tournament where they lost to Loyola–Chicago.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | # | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Comment |
| Jerron Martin | 24 | G | 6'0" | 175 | RS Sr | Prince George's County, MD | Graduation |
| Daouda Ndiaye | 4 | C | 7'0" | 215 | Jr | Dakar, Senegal | Southern Utah |
| Christian Romine | 34 | F | 6'9" | 220 | RS So | Mahomet, IL | Personal reasons |
| Madison Williams | 25 | G | 6'3" | 170 | So | Augusta, GA | Retired due to injury |
| Elijah Clarance | 1 | G | 6'4" | 190 | Fr | Malmö, Sweden | Skyliners Frankfurt |

### Arrivals
#### Transfers

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Prior School |
| Jaycee Hillsman | G | 6'6" | 213 | Sr | Champaign, IL | San Jose State |
| Lijah Donnelly | G | 6'2" | 170 | Jr | Bloomington, IL | Illinois–Springfield |
| Josh Jefferson | G | 6'2" | 173 | Jr | New Albany, IN | Lake Land College |
| Keith Fisher III | F | 6'8" | 215 | RS So | Los Angeles, CA | San Jose State |
| Dedric Boyd | G | 6'4" | 175 | So | Brownsville, TN | Eastern Kentucky |

#### Recruiting Class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Rey Idowu PF | Melbourne, FL | Clearwater Academy International | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Sep 16, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Abdou Ndiaye PF | Louga, Senegal | The Nation Christian Academy | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Apr 16, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition Season |||||||||
| October 30, 2018* 7:00 pm | | Lewis | W 80–58 | | 20 – Fayne | 12 – Fayne | 6 – Hein | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena Normal, IL |
| November 3, 2018* 12:00 pm | | Augustana (Illinois) | W 82–74 | | 23 – Fayne | 11 – Tinsley | 5 – Yarbrough | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (4,218) Normal, IL |
| Non-Conference Regular Season |||||||||
| November 6, 2018* 6:00 pm, NBCSCH | | Florida Gulf Coast | W 74–66 | 1–0 | 17 – Yarbrough, Fayne, Jefferson | 11 – Fayne | 5 – Copeland | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (4,764) Normal, IL |
| November 10, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Belmont | L 89–100 | 1–1 | 23 – Fayne | 6 – Tinsley | 5 – Copeland | Curb Event Center (3,086) Nashville, TN |
| November 13, 2018* 7:00 pm, NBCSCH | | Chicago State Cayman Islands Classic campus site | W 75–71 | 2–1 | 25 – Yarbrough | 9 – Yarbrough | 7 – Yarbrough | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (4,320) Normal, IL |
| November 19, 2018* 12:30 pm, Stadium | | vs. Georgia Cayman Islands Classic quarterfinal | L 68–80 | 2–2 | 20 – Yarbrough | 8 – Yarbrough | 4 – Yarbrough | John Gray Gymnasium (1,180) George Town, Cayman Islands |
| November 20, 2018* 10:00 am, Stadium | | vs. Akron Cayman Islands Classic consolation semifinal | W 73–68 | 3–2 | 19 – Jefferson | 16 – Yarbrough | 6 – Copeland | John Gray Gymnasium (667) George Town, Cayman Islands |
| November 21, 2018* 12:30 pm, Stadium | | vs. Boise State Cayman Islands Classic consolation final | W 73–70 | 4–2 | 28 – Yarbrough | 8 – Yarbrough | 6 – Yarbrough | John Gray Gymnasium (525) George Town, Cayman Islands |
| November 24, 2018* 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Lindenwood | W 79–62 | 5–2 | 15 – Copeland | 9 – Tinsley | 6 – Yarbrough, Evans | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (3,737) Normal, IL |
| November 28, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | BYU | W 92–89 $^{OT}$ | 6–2 | 20 – Fayne | 10 – Fayne | 7 – Copeland | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (6,187) Normal, IL |
| December 1, 2018* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | San Diego State Mountain West– Missouri Valley Challenge | L 65–75 | 6–3 | 16 – Yarbrough, Fayne | 13 – Yarbrough | 2 – Yarbrough, Evans | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (6,245) Normal, IL |
| December 5, 2018* 6:00 pm, NBCSCH | | at UIC | L 75–94 | 6–4 | 30 – Yarbrough | 6 – Yarbrough, Jefferson | 5 – Jefferson | Credit Union 1 Arena (2,197) Chicago, IL |
| December 8, 2018* 7:00 pm, NBCSCH | | Ole Miss | L 74–81 | 6–5 | 19 – Yarbrough | 11 – Fayne | 6 – Yarbrough | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (6,598) Normal, IL |
| December 16, 2018* 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Cleveland State | W 88–77 $^{OT}$ | 7–5 | 30 – Fayne | 9 – Fayne | 5 – Yarbrough, Copeland | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (4,225) Normal, IL |
| December 21, 2018* 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at UCF | L 56–77 | 7–6 | 10 – Evans, Fayne | 6 – Fayne | 3 – Copeland | CFE Arena (3,385) Orlando, FL |
| Missouri Valley Conference Regular Season |||||||||
| January 2, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Valparaiso | L 56–58 | 7–7 (0–1) | 21 – Copeland | 9 – Chastain | 3 – Evans, Copeland | Athletics–Recreation Center (3,818) Valparaiso, IN |
| January 5, 2019 3:00 pm, MVC Network (FSIN/FSKC/FSMW/NBCSCH) | | Evansville | W 58–46 | 8–7 (1–1) | 20 – Fayne | 12 – Yarbrough | 7 – Yarbrough | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (5,643) Normal, IL |
| January 8, 2019 7:00 pm, NBCSCH | | Northern Iowa | W 70–69 | 9–7 (2–1) | 23 – Yarbrough | 8 – Yarbrough | 4 – Copeland | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (4,107) Normal, IL |
| January 12, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Loyola–Chicago | L 64–67 | 9–8 (2–2) | 19 – Yarbrough | 8 – Yarbrough | 3 – Yarbrough | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (4,513) Chicago, IL |
| January 15, 2019 6:00 pm, CBSSN | | Southern Illinois | W 59–58 | 10–8 (3–2) | 14 – Copeland | 8 – Fayne | 3 – Evans, Copeland | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (4,588) Normal, IL |
| January 19, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Evansville | W 78–70 | 11–8 (4–2) | 27 – Yarbrough | 8 – Yarbrough | 7 – Copeland | Ford Center (5,731) Evansville, IN |
| January 23, 2019 6:00 pm, MVC Network | | at Bradley I–74 Rivalry | L 68–85 | 11–9 (4–3) | 25 – Yarbrough | 6 – Fayne | 5 – Copeland | Carver Arena (7,122) Peoria, IL |
| January 27, 2019 1:00 pm, CBSSN | | Indiana State | W 76–62 | 12–9 (5–3) | 26 – Fayne | 6 – Chastain | 5 – Yarbrough | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (5,141) Normal, IL |
| January 30, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Drake | W 69–55 | 13–9 (6–3) | 22 – Fayne | 9 – Yarbrough | 5 – Yarbrough | The Knapp Center (3,511) Des Moines, IA |
| February 2, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Loyola–Chicago | W 65–57 | 14–9 (7–3) | 21 – Yarbrough | 6 – Fayne | 3 – Evans | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (8,107) Normal, IL |
| February 5, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Valparaiso | L 53–69 | 14–10 (7–4) | 17 – Copeland | 5 – Yarbrough | 3 – Copeland | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (4,662) Normal, IL |
| February 10, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Missouri State | L 65–66 | 14–11 (7–5) | 22 – Fayne | 6 – Yarbrough, Fayne | 3 – Yarbrough, Copeland | JQH Arena (6,507) Springfield, MO |
| February 13, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Northern Iowa | L 64–77 | 14–12 (7–6) | 21 – Fayne | 9 – Tinsley | 4 – Evans | McLeod Center (3,364) Cedar Falls, IA |
| February 16, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Bradley I–74 Rivalry | L 59–65 | 14–13 (7–7) | 20 – Yarbrough | 11 – Fayne | 5 – Chastain | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (9,011) Normal, IL |
| February 20, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Indiana State | L 50–73 | 14–14 (7–8) | 16 – Fayne | 5 – Fayne, Tinsley | 5 – Copeland | Hulman Center (3,253) Terre Haute, IN |
| February 24, 2019 1:00 pm, CBSSN | | Drake | W 67–60 | 15–14 (8–8) | 21 – Yarbrough | 9 – Fayne | 4 – Yarbrough | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (4,985) Normal, IL |
| February 27, 2019 6:00 pm, MVC Network | | Missouri State | W 65–57 | 16–14 (9–8) | 28 – Yarbrough | 9 – Yarbrough | 3 – Yarbrough | Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (4,468) Normal, IL |
| March 2, 2019 1:00 pm, CBSSN | | Southern Illinois | L 63–72 | 16–15 (9–9) | 21 – Fayne | 7 – Chastain | 2 – Evans, Chastain | SIU Arena (4,599) Carbondale, IL |
| State Farm Missouri Valley Conference {MVC} tournament |||||||||
| March 7, 2019* 8:30 pm, MVC Network/ESPN+ | (7) | vs. (10) Evansville Opening Round | W 65–60 | 17–15 | 18 – Yarbrough | 10 – Fayne | 2 – Evans, Copeland | Enterprise Center (5,004) St. Louis, MO |
| March 8, 2019* 6:00 pm, MVC Network/ESPN+ | (7) | vs. (2) Drake Quarterfinal | L 62–78 | 17–16 | 18 – Fayne | 7 – Yarbrough | 3 – Yarbrough, Copeland | Enterprise Center (7,396) St. Louis, MO |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Standard Time. |||||||||
Source