# 2000–01 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team

The 2000–01 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team represented Illinois State University during the 2000–01 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Redbirds, led by second year head coach Tom Richardson, played their home games at Redbird Arena and were a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Redbirds finished the season 21–9, 12–6 in conference play to finish in a tie for second place with Bradley University. They were the number three seed for the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. They won their quarterfinal game versus the University of Evansville and lost their semifinal game versus Bradley University.
The Redbirds received an at-large bid to the 2001 National Invitation Tournament. They were defeated by Purdue University in the first round.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular Season |||||||||
| November 25, 2000* | | Chicago State | W 88–46 | 1–0 | 16 – Bryson | – | 4 – Jeppson, Rice, Knight | Redbird Arena (5,506) Normal, IL |
| November 30, 2000* 7:00 pm | | at No. 2 Kansas | L 61–80 | 1–1 | 14 – Jeppson | 7 – Wilson | 2 – Bryson, Ford, Rice | Allen Fieldhouse (16,100) Lawrence, KS |
| December 3, 2000* | | at Central Michigan | W 85–73 | 2–1 | 41 – Bryson | 8 – Wilson | 4 – Bryson | Rose Arena (4,158) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| December 6, 2000* | | Bowling Green State | W 83–73 | 3–1 | 20 – Bryson | 7 – Knight | 5 – Rice | Redbird Arena (7,045) Normal, IL |
| December 9, 2000* | | Tennessee–Martin | W 77–60 | 4–1 | 16 – Bryson | 10 – Ford | 5 – Rice | Redbird Arena (7,470) Normal, IL |
| December 17, 2000* | | Texas–San Antonio | W 95–87 | 5–1 | 20 – Bryson | 6 – Ford | 6 – Rice | Redbird Arena (5,727) Normal, IL |
| December 23, 2000* | | Indiana/Purdue–Indianapolis | W 82–63 | 6–1 | 17 – Bryson | 9 – Beyers | 4 – Bryson | Redbird Arena (5,355) Normal, IL |
| December 28, 2000* | | Georgia Southern | W 89–60 | 7–1 | 31 – Bryson | 6 – Ford | 5 – Rice, Wilson | Redbird Arena (6,245) Normal, IL |
| December 31, 2000* | | at Western Illinois | W 87–83 $^{OT}$ | 8–1 | 25 – Ford | 9 – Williams | 2 – Bryson, Jeppson, Rice | Western Hall (1,214) Macomb, IL |
| January 6, 2001 | | Indiana State | L 71–78 | 8–2 (0–1) | 26 – Bryson | 7 – Wilson | 5 – Rice | Redbird Arena (6,477) Normal, IL |
| January 8, 2001 7:05 pm | | Creighton | W 75–63 | 9–2 (1–1) | 21 – Ford | 10 – Ford | 7 – Bryson | Redbird Arena (5,225) Normal, IL |
| January 11, 2001 | | at Southwest Missouri State | W 63–62 | 10–2 (2–1) | 19 – Jeppson | 6 – Jeppson | 2 – Jeppson, Rice, Wilson | John Q. Hammons Student Center (6,302) Springfield, MO |
| January 14, 2001 2:05 pm | | at Southern Illinois | W 88–74 | 11–2 (3–1) | 35 – Bryson | 5 – Ford, Rice | 9 – Jeppson | SIU Arena (4,189) Carbondale, IL |
| January 17, 2001 | | at Drake | L 68–77 | 11–3 (3–2) | 16 – Ford | 6 – Ford | 2 – Ford, Jeppson, Rice | The Knapp Center (2,568) Des Moines, IA |
| January 20, 2001 | | Evansville | W 64–60 | 12–3 (4–2) | 19 – Bryson | 13 – Williams | 5 – Wilson | Redbird Arena (9,125) Normal, IL |
| January 24, 2001 | | Southwest Missouri State | W 64–60 | 13–3 (5–2) | 19 – Bryson | 6 – Knight | 9 – Rice | Redbird Arena (6,447) Normal, IL |
| January 27, 2001 7:05 pm | | at Creighton | L 69–78 | 13–4 (5–3) | 23 – Bryson | 7 – Bryson, Ford | 3 – Bryson | Omaha Civic Auditorium (8,371) Omaha, NE |
| January 29, 2001 7:05 pm | | at Wichita State | W 68–61 | 14–4 (6–3) | 27 – Bryson | 7 – Jeppson | 5 – Bryson, Rice | Henry Levitt Arena (7,312) Wichita, KS |
| February 3, 2001 | | Northern Iowa | W 64–52 | 15–4 (7–3) | 17 – Bryson | 10 – Knight | 6 – Rice | Redbird Arena (9,128) Normal, IL |
| February 6, 2001 WMBD | | Bradley | W 81–62 | 16–4 (8–3) | 27 – Bryson | 15 – Ford | 5 – Jeppson | Redbird Arena (9,417) Normal, IL |
| February 10, 2001 | | at Indiana State | L 68-74 | 16–5 (8–4) | 24 – Bryson | 9 – Ford | 4 – Rice | Hulman Center (7,339) Terre Haute, IN |
| February 12, 2001 | | at Evansville | W 94–87 $^{2OT}$ | 17–5 (9–4) | 37 – Bryson | 8 – Rice | 13 – Rice | Roberts Municipal Stadium (6,334) Evansville, IN |
| February 15, 2001 7:05 pm | | Southern Illinois | W 69–60 | 18–5 (10–4) | 30 – Bryson | 6 – Ford | 8 – Rice | Redbird Arena (7,059) Normal, IL |
| February 18, 2001 | | Drake | L 78–81 | 18–6 (10–5) | 30 – Bryson | 6 – Bryson, Ford | 4 – Jeppson | Redbird Arena (9,212) Normal, IL |
| February 21, 2001 WEEK | | at Bradley | L 52–64 | 18–7 (10–6) | 20 – Bryson | 6 – Ford, Jeppson | 2 – Bryson, Ford, Jeppson | Carver Arena (11,309) Peoria, IL |
| February 24, 2001 | | at Northern Iowa | W 69–66 | 19–7 (11–6) | 20 – Bryson | 8 – Beyers, Bryson | 5 – Bryson, Rice | UNI Dome (2,531) Cedar Falls, IA |
| February 26, 2001 7:05 pm | | Wichita State | W 79–71 | 20–7 (12–6) | 28 – Bryson | 8 – Ford | 5 – Rice | Redbird Arena (6,264) Normal, IL |
| State Farm Missouri Valley Conference {MVC} tournament |||||||||
| March 3, 2001 | (3) | vs. (6) Evansville Quarterfinal | W 81–77 | 21–7 | 19 – Bryson, Jeppson | 8 – Bryson | 7 – Rice | Savvis Center (8,946) St. Louis, MO |
| March 4, 2001 | (3) | vs. (2) Bradley Semifinal | L 66–73 | 21–8 | 22 – Bryson | 10 – Ford | 6 – Rice | Savvis Center (10,709) St. Louis, MO |
| National Invitation {NIT} tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2001 6:30 pm | | at Purdue First Round | L 79–90 | 21–9 | 38 – Bryson | 6 – Knight | 6 – Rice | Mackey Arena (3,823) West Lafayette, IN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Standard Time. |||||||||