# 2021–22 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team represented Illinois State University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Redbirds played their home games at Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena in Normal, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. The team finished the season 13–20, 5–13 in MVC play to finish in eighth place. They defeated Indiana State in the opening round of the MVC tournament before losing to Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals.
Twenty-six games into his tenth season as head coach, Dan Muller was notified by the school he would not be retained; however, the school stated he would be allowed to finish out the remainder of the season. A day later, Muller announced that he would step aside immediately with associate head coach Brian Jones then being named interim coach for the remainder of the season. On March 7, 2022, the school named Ohio State assistant coach Ryan Pedon as the team's new head coach.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Redbirds finished the 2020–21 season 7–18, 4–14 in MVC play to finish in 10th place. In the MVC tournament, they lost to Northern Iowa in the first round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | # | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Comment |
| DJ Horne | 0 | G | 6'1" | 175 | Sophomore | Raleigh, NC | Arizona State |
| Dedric Boyd | 1 | G | 6'4" | 195 | RS Junior | Brownsville, TN | Tennessee State |
| Dusan Mahorcic | 21 | F | 6'10" | 240 | Junior | Belgrade, Serbia | Utah |

### 2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Julian Samuels G | Annawan, IL | Central Pointe Christian Academy | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Elijah Williams G | Lilburn, GA | Providence Christian Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| 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: "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Prior school |
| Mark Freeman | G | 5'11" | 165 | Junior | Memphis, TN | Tennessee State |
| Kendall Lewis | F | 6'7" | 190 | Junior | Snellville, GA | Appalachian State |
| Ryan Schmitt | F | 6'11" | 225 | Junior | Van Meter, IA | Des Moines Area CC |
| Liam McChesney | F | 6'10" | 200 | RS Sophomore | Prince Rupert, BC | Utah State |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 4, 2021* 7:00 pm | | Davenport | W 85–59 | | 34 – Reeves | 8 – Lewis | 10 – Freeman | Redbird Arena Normal, IL |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | UNC Wilmington | W 68–63 | 1–0 | 29 – Reeves | 10 – Chatman | 3 – Tied | Redbird Arena (2,642) Normal, IL |
| November 12, 2021* 5:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Eastern Michigan | L 98–103 $^{2OT}$ | 1–1 | 32 – Reeves | 13 – Chatman | 2 – Tied | George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,905) Ypsilanti, MI |
| November 16, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Murray State | L 65–77 | 1–2 | 19 – Reeves | 7 – Lewis | 4 – Freeman | Redbird Arena (2,904) Normal, IL |
| November 20, 2021* 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Bucknell Cancún Challenge Campus Game | W 105–100 $^{OT}$ | 2–2 | 34 – Freeman | 11 – Chatman | 7 – Freeman | Redbird Arena (2,576) Normal, IL |
| November 23, 2021* 7:30 pm, CBSSN | | vs. Saint Louis Cancún Challenge Riviera Division (Semifinal) | L 76–82 | 2–3 | 20 – Reeves | 4 – Reeves | 6 – Fleming Jr. | Riviera Maya (103) Cancún, Mexico |
| November 24, 2021* 5:00 pm, CBSSN | | vs. Buffalo Cancún Challenge Riviera Division (Consolation) | L 90–106 | 2–4 | 22 – Lewis | 5 – Tied | 4 – Strong | Riviera Maya (144) Cancún, Mexico |
| November 27, 2021* 8:00 pm, Marquee | | Purdue Northwest | W 81–71 | 3–4 | 20 – Reeves | 12 – Chatman | 7 – Freeman | Redbird Arena (1,024) Normal, IL |
| December 1, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Missouri State | W 79–74 $^{OT}$ | 4–4 (1–0) | 22 – Reeves | 6 – 3 Tied | 5 – Fleming Jr. | Redbird Arena (2,902) Normal, IL |
| December 4, 2021* 3:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Jackson State | L 55–61 | 4–5 | 14 – Reeves | 6 – Lewis | 4 – Freeman | Redbird Arena (3,089) Normal, IL |
| December 11, 2021* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Chicago State | W 81–71 | 5–5 | 28 – Reeves | 6 – Lewis | 4 – Freeman | Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center (267) Chicago, IL |
| December 14, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Quincy | W 81–63 | 6–5 | 19 – Reeves | 7 – Chatman | 4 – Freeman | Redbird Arena (2,039) Normal, IL |
| December 18, 2021* 3:00 pm, Marquee | | Ball State | W 85–64 | 7–5 | 23 – Strong | 9 – Lewis | 6 – Freeman | Redbird Arena (2,704) Normal, IL |
| December 21, 2021* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | UTSA | W 81–64 | 8–5 | 21 – Reeves | 10 – Reeves | 8 – Freeman | Redbird Arena (2.345) Normal, IL |
| December 29, 2021* 7:00 pm, BTN | | at No. 24 Wisconsin | L 85–89 | 8–6 | 23 – Reeves | 7 – Chatman | 3 – Tied | Kohl Center (15,718) Madison, WI |
| January 2, 2022 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Valparaiso | L 76–81 $^{OT}$ | 8–7 (1–1) | 24 – Reeves | 7 – Tied | 4 – Strong | Athletics–Recreation Center (1,267) Valparaiso, IN |
| January 12, 2022 7:00 pm, MVC TV | | at Drake | L 75–86 | 8–8 (1–2) | 20 – Lewis | 5 – Tied | 6 – Strong | The Knapp Center (2,702) Des Moines, IA |
| January 16, 2022 7:00 pm, Marquee | | Bradley I–74 Rivalry | W 74–65 | 9–8 (2–2) | 24 – Reeves | 7 – Chatman | 4 – Strong | Redbird Arena (4,072) Normal, IL |
| January 19, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Missouri State | L 63–88 | 9–9 (2–3) | 19 – Freeman | 7 – Chatman | 4 – Strong | JQH Arena (3,362) Springfield, MO |
| January 21, 2022 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Evansville | W 94–56 | 10–9 (3–3) | 16 – Reeves | 5 – Fleming Jr. | 4 – Fleming Jr. | Redbird Arena (2,721) Normal, IL |
| January 23, 2022 1:00 pm, MVC TV | | at Evansville (Rescheduled from January 9) | L 53–56 | 10–10 (3–4) | 23 – Reeves | 5 – Strong | 3 – Freeman | Ford Center (3,354) Evansville, IN |
| January 26, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Drake | L 88–89 $^{OT}$ | 10–11 (3–5) | 25 – Reeves | 11 – Lewis | 10 – Freeman | Redbird Arena (3,515) Normal, IL |
| January 29, 2022 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Northern Iowa | L 64–79 | 10–12 (3–6) | 19 – McChesney | 8 – McChesney | 4 – Strong | McLeod Center (2,669) Cedar Falls, IA |
| February 2, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Loyola Chicago | L 64–78 | 10–13 (3–7) | 20 – Reeves | 5 – Fleming Jr. | 3 – Freeman | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (3,097) Chicago, IL |
| February 5, 2022 7:00 pm, Marquee | | Southern Illinois | L 69–75 | 10–14 (3–8) | 18 – Strong | 8 – McChesney | 5 – Reeves | Redbird Arena (4,276) Normal, IL |
| February 9, 2022 7:00 pm, Marquee | | Valparaiso | W 78–75 $^{OT}$ | 11–14 (4–8) | 34 – Reeves | 10 – McChesney | 3 – Freeman | Redbird Arena (2,443) Normal, IL |
| February 12, 2022 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Indiana State | L 57–60 | 11–15 (4–9) | 13 – McChesney | 10 – Lewis | 4 – Fleming Jr. | Hulman Center (2,766) Terre Haute, IN |
| February 15, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Northern Iowa | L 70–72 | 11–16 (4–10) | 27 – Reeves | 14 – Lewis | 4 – Lewis | Redbird Arena (3,039) Normal, IL |
| February 19, 2022 1:00 pm, MVC TV | | at Bradley I–74 Rivalry | L 64–72 | 11–17 (4–11) | 20 – Reeves | 6 – Freeman | 2 – Tied | Carver Arena (6,902) Peoria, IL |
| February 21, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Loyola Chicago (Rescheduled from January 5) | L 50–59 | 11–18 (4–12) | 15 – Reeves | 7 – Fleming Jr. | 2 – Tied | Redbird Arena (3,354) Normal, IL |
| February 23, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Southern Illinois | L 69–90 | 11–19 (4–13) | 18 – Reeves | 6 – Lewis | 5 – Freeman | Banterra Center (4,390) Carbondale, IL |
| February 26, 2022 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Indiana State | W 86–66 | 12–19 (5–13) | 28 – Reeves | 6 – Reeves | 6 – Freeman | Redbird Arena (3,665) Normal, IL |
| MVC Tournament |||||||||
| March 3, 2022 6:00 pm, MVC TV | (8) | vs. (9) Indiana State Opening Round | W 58–53 | 13–19 | 15 – Reeves | 8 – Lewis | 4 – Fleming Jr. | Enterprise Center (2,904) St. Louis, MO |
| March 4, 2022 12:00 pm, MVC TV | (8) | vs. (1) Northern Iowa Quarterfinal | L 65–78 | 13–20 | 20 – Fleming Jr. | 6 – Strong | 4 – Reeves | Enterprise Center (5,394) St. Louis, MO |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source