# 1996–97 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team

The 1996–97 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team represented Illinois State University during the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Redbirds, led by fourth year head coach Kevin Stallings, played their home games at Redbird Arena and were a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Redbirds finished the season 24–6, 14–4 in conference play to finish in first place. They were the number one seed for the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. They won their quarterfinal game versus Indiana State University, semifinal game versus the University of Northern Iowa, and final game versus Southwest Missouri State University to earn the championship title.
The Redbirds received the conference automatic bid to the 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. They were assigned to the Midwest Regional as the number eleven seed where they lost to Iowa State 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 24, 1996* | | at Pittsburgh | W 69–50 | 1–0 | 16 – Schaefbauer | 8 – Hill | 8 – Smiley | Fitzgerald Field House (6,482) Pittsburgh, PA |
| November 30, 1996* | | Eastern Kentucky | W 87–64 | 2–0 | 19 – Schaefbauer | 10 – Hill | 10 – Smiley | Redbird Arena (8,740) Normal, IL |
| December 4, 1996* | | vs. DePaul | W 75–50 | 3–0 | 23 – Hill | 6 – Schaefbauer | 9 – Smiley | Kiel Center (13,625) St. Louis, MO |
| December 7, 1996* | | Ohio | W 81–69 | 4–0 | 17 – Hill | 7 – Muller, Hill | 9 – Smiley | Redbird Arena (8,153) Normal, IL |
| December 14, 1996* | | at Duquesne | L 64–91 | 4–1 | 14 – Watkins | 7 – Muller, Watkins, Hill | 4 – Smiley | A. J. Palumbo Center (3,654) Pittsburgh, PA |
| December 18, 1996* | | at Northwestern | W 67–47 | 5–1 | 16 – Muller | 7 – Hill | 6 – Schaefbauer | Welsh–Ryan Arena (3,423) Evanston, IL |
| December 21, 1996* | | at Wisconsin–Green Bay | W 71–61 | 6–1 | 25 – Hill | 7 – Smiley | 6 – Smiley | Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena (4,188) Ashwaubenon, WI |
| December 23, 1996* | | Illinois–Chicago | W 78–58 | 7–1 | 21 – Schaefbauer | 14 – Hill | 9 – Smiley | Redbird Arena (9,005) Normal, IL |
| December 29, 1996 7:05 pm | | at Creighton | W 54–45 | 8–1 (1–0) | 17 – Schaefbauer | 15 – Hill | 7 – Smiley | Omaha Civic Auditorium (4,959) Omaha, NE |
| January 4, 1997 1:30 pm, ESPN2 | | Evansville | W 80–67 | 9–1 (2–0) | 21 – Hill | 10 – Hill | 5 – Smiley | Redbird Arena (8,088) Normal, IL |
| January 9, 1997 | | Northern Iowa | L 71–77 $^{OT}$ | 9–2 (2–1) | 21 – Hill | 7 – Hill | 9 – Smiley | Redbird Arena (6,291) Normal, IL |
| January 12, 1997 | | at Southern Illinois | W 76–70 | 10–2 (3–1) | 15 – Muller | 6 – Watkins | 6 – Schaefbauer | SIU Arena (4,212) Carbondale, IL |
| January 16, 1997 | | Indiana State | W 101–58 | 11–2 (4–1) | 23 – Hill | 7 – Cartmill | 14 – Smiley | Redbird Arena (7,834) Normal, IL |
| January 19, 1997 | | at Evansville | W 67–53 | 12–2 (5–1) | 19 – Watkins | 12 – Watkins | 7 – Smiley | Roberts Municipal Stadium (8,412) Evansville, IN |
| January 22, 1997 | | at Northern Iowa | L 88–93 $^{2OT}$ | 12–3 (5–2) | 25 – Hill | 6 – Muller | 8 – Smiley | UNI Dome (2,592) Cedar Falls, IA |
| January 25, 1997 7:05 pm | | Wichita State | W 79–71 | 13–3 (6–2) | 14 – Muller | 9 – Hill | 4 – Hansell | Redbird Arena (9,821) Normal, IL |
| January 27, 1997 | | Southwest Missouri State | W 95–84 | 14–3 (7–2) | 37 – Hill | 13 – Hill | 10 – Smiley | Redbird Arena (7,065) Normal, IL |
| February 1, 1997 MVC-TV | | Bradley | W 69–67 | 15–3 (8–2) | 21 – Hill | 9 – Hill | 10 – Smiley | Redbird Arena (10,348) Normal, IL |
| February 3, 1997 | | at Drake | W 73–65 | 16–3 (9–2) | 27 – Schaefbauer | 13 – Hill | 4 – Hansell, Hill | The Knapp Center (3,180) Des Moines, IA |
| February 8, 1997 7:35 pm | | at Wichita State | W 62–53 | 17–3 (10–2) | 17 – Watkins | 9 – Hill | 5 – Smiley | Henry Levitt Arena (10,545) Wichita, KS |
| February 10, 1997 | | at Southwest Missouri State | L 66–79 | 17–4 (10–3) | 18 – Schaefbauer | 10 – Hill | 5 – Schaefbauer, Smiley | John Q. Hammons Student Center (7,764) Springfield, MO |
| February 13, 1997 | | Southern Illinois | W 82–77 | 18–4 (11–3) | 32 – Hill | 11 – Hill | 9 – Smiley | Redbird Arena (8,187) Normal, IL |
| February 15, 1997 | | Drake | W 82–51 | 19–4 (12–3) | 19 – Muller | 7 – vanVelzen | 9 – Smiley | Redbird Arena (9,755) Normal, IL |
| February 18, 1997 | | at Indiana State | W 78-68 | 20–4 (13–3) | 24 – Hill | 8 – Hill | 7 – Smiley | Hulman Center (4,217) Terre Haute, IN |
| February 22, 1997 MVC-TV | | at Bradley | L 64–69 | 20–5 (13–4) | 18 – Hill | 8 – Watkins | 5 – Smiley | Carver Arena (11,207) Peoria, IL |
| February 24, 1997 7:05 pm | | Creighton | W 74–69 | 21–5 (14–4) | 23 – Hill | 8 – Hill | 10 – Smiley | Redbird Arena (8,374) Normal, IL |
| Missouri Valley Conference {MVC} tournament |||||||||
| March 1, 1997 | (1) | (9) Indiana State Quarterfinal | W 72–58 | 22–5 | 21 – Hill | 9 – Muller | 10 – Smiley | Kiel Center (9,594) St. Louis, MO |
| March 2, 1997 | (1) | (4) Northern Iowa Semifinal | W 69–65 | 23–5 | 29 – Hill | 7 – Hill | 5 – Smiley | Kiel Center (13,329) St. Louis, MO |
| March 3, 1997 8:30 pm, ESPN | (1) | (3) Southwest Missouri State Final | W 75–72 | 24–5 | 31 – Hill | 8 – Muller | 4 – Hansell, Schaefbauer, Smiley | Kiel Center (9,751) St. Louis, MO |
| National Collegiate Athletic Association {NCAA} tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 1997 2:00 pm, CBS | (11) | vs. (6) No. 18 Iowa State Midwest Region [First Round] | L 57–69 | 24–6 | 14 – Hill | 14 – Hill | 12 – Smiley | The Palace of Auburn Hills (21,020) Auburn Hills, MI |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Standard Time. |||||||||