# 2020–21 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team represented Illinois State University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Redbirds, led by ninth-year head coach Dan Muller, played their home games at Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena in Normal, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they finished the 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.

## Previous season

The Redbirds finished the 2019–20 season 10–21, 5–13 in MVC play to finish in ninth place. In the MVC tournament, they lost to Drake in the first round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | # | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Comment |
| Jaycee Hillsman | 25 | G | 6'6" | 230 | RS Senior | Champaign, IL | Graduation |
| Zach Copeland | 2 | G | 6'4" | 195 | Senior | Oakland, CA | Graduation |
| Ricky Torres | 3 | G | 6'2" | 180 | Senior | Pinellas Park, FL | Graduation |
| Matt Chastain | 22 | G | 6'6" | 210 | RS Junior | LeRoy, IL | Retired due to injury |
| Lijah Donnelly | 15 | G | 6'2" | 170 | RS Junior | Bloomington, IL | Lincoln College |
| Keith Fisher III | 5 | F | 6'8" | 220 | RS Junior | Los Angeles, CA | Opted out due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| Taylor Bruninga | 32 | F | 6'8" | 210 | RS Sophomore | Mapleton, IL | Retired due to injury |
| Rey Idowu | 13 | F | 6'9" | 240 | Sophomore | Melbourne, FL | Tulsa |

### 2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Alston Andrews F | Detroit, MI | Ocoee High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Nov 18, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Howard Fleming Jr. G | Louisville, KY | Male High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Nov 20, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Emon Washington G | Atlanta, GA | South Cobb High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Nov 13, 2019 |
| 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: "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Prior school |
| Sy Chatman | F | 6'8" | 220 | Junior | Minneapolis, MN | UMass |
| Dusan Mahorcic | F | 6'10" | 240 | Junior | Belgrade, Serbia | Moberly Area Community College |
| Josiah Strong | G | 6'3" | 195 | Junior | Brooklyn Park, MN | Iowa Western Community College |
| Alex Kotov | F | 6'10" | 220 | Sophomore | Moscow, Russia | Daytona State College |

## Roster

NOTE: (L) indicates left team in-season

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-Conference Regular Season |||||||||
| November 25, 2020* 1:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 23 Ohio State Columbus Multi-Team Event | L 67–94 | 0–1 | 17 – Reeves | 7 – Reeves | 7 – Fleming Jr. | Value City Arena (0) Columbus, OH |
| November 28, 2020* 12:00 pm | | vs. UMass Lowell Columbus Multi-Team Event | W 82–72 | 1–1 | 21 – Strong | 10 – Sissoko | 2 – 3 tied | Covelli Center (0) Columbus, OH |
| December 2, 2020* 5:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Greenville | W 177–108 | 2–1 | 30 – Washington | 7 – 3 tied | 11 – Strong | Redbird Arena (0) Normal, IL |
| December 5, 2020* 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Murray State | L 65–76 | 2–2 | 16 – Reeves | 9 – Mahorcic | 5 – Strong | CFSB Center (1,290) Murray, KY |
| December 12, 2020* 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Ball State | L 66–82 | 2–3 | 15 – Boyd | 13 – Mahorcic | 4 – Strong | John E. Worthen Arena (107) Muncie, IN |
| December 15, 2020* 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Chicago State | W 91–62 | 3–3 | 22 – Horne | 9 – Fleming Jr. | 6 – Strong | Redbird Arena (0) Normal, IL |
| Missouri Valley Conference Regular Season |||||||||
| December 27, 2020 3:00 pm, (FSIN/FSKC/FSMW/NBCSCH) | | at Loyola-Chicago | L 60–90 | 3–4 (0–1) | 18 – Horne | 8 – Mahorcic | 2 – 3 tied | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (0) Chicago, IL |
| December 28, 2020 6:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Loyola-Chicago | L 55-86 | 3–5 (0–2) | 21 – Strong | 6 – Horne | 3 – 4 tied | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (0) Chicago, IL |
| January 2, 2021 4:30 pm | | Valparaiso | postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Valparaiso; rescheduled for January 23, 2021 | postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Valparaiso; rescheduled for January 23, 2021 | postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Valparaiso; rescheduled for January 23, 2021 | postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Valparaiso; rescheduled for January 23, 2021 | postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Valparaiso; rescheduled for January 23, 2021 | Redbird Arena Normal, IL |
| January 3, 2021 4:30 pm | | Valparaiso | postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Valparaiso; rescheduled for January 24, 2021 | postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Valparaiso; rescheduled for January 24, 2021 | postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Valparaiso; rescheduled for January 24, 2021 | postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Valparaiso; rescheduled for January 24, 2021 | postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Valparaiso; rescheduled for January 24, 2021 | Redbird Arena Normal, IL |
| January 9, 2021 1:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Evansville | L 48-57 | 3–6 (0–3) | 11 – Reeves | 11 – Mahorcic | 2 – tied | Ford Center (0) Evansville, IN |
| January 10, 2021 1:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Evansville | W 73–68 | 4–6 (1–3) | 21 – Reeves | 9 – Sissoko | 2 – tied | Ford Center (0) Evansville, IN |
| January 16, 2021 3:00 pm, MVC-TV | | Indiana State | L 65–73 | 4–7 (1–4) | 16 – Horne | 9 – Mahorcic | 5 – Horne | Redbird Arena (0) Normal, IL |
| January 17, 2021 3:00 pm, Marquee | | Indiana State | L 68–74 | 4–8 (1–5) | 19 – Boyd | 11 – Mahorcic | 4 – Strong | Redbird Arena (0) Normal, IL |
| January 20, 2021 8:00 pm, Marquee | | Bradley I–74 Rivalry (site swap with February 17, 2021 game) | W 71–56 | 5–8 (2–5) | 23 – Horne | 9 – Mahorcic | 4 – Fleming Jr. | Redbird Arena (0) Normal, IL |
| January 23, 2021 5:00 pm, Marquee | | Valparaiso | L 60–69 | 5–9 (2–6) | 19 – Horne | 10 – Fleming Jr. | 4 – Fleming Jr. | Redbird Arena (0) Normal, IL |
| January 24, 2021 5:00 pm, Marquee | | Valparaiso | L 66–70 | 5–10 (2–7) | 20 – Horne | 6 – tied | 3 – tied | Redbird Arena (0) Normal, IL |
| January 31, 2021 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Drake | L 76–78 $^{OT}$ | 5–11 (2–8) | 27 – Reeves | 7 – Horne | 4 – tied | The Knapp Center (947) Des Moines, IA |
| February 1, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at No. 25 Drake | L 60–95 | 5–12 (2–9) | 20 – Reeves | 7 – Ndiaye | 3 – Fleming Jr. | The Knapp Center (737) Des Moines, IA |
| February 6, 2021 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Missouri State | L 67–74 | 5–13 (2–10) | 23 – Horne | 8 – Mahorcic | 3 – Horne | Redbird Arena (0) Normal, IL |
| February 7, 2021 2:00 pm, Marquee | | Missouri State | L 62–72 | 5–14 (2–11) | 18 – Horne | 15 – Mahorcic | 3 – Fleming Jr. | Redbird Arena (0) Normal, IL |
| February 13, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Southern Illinois | W 80–55 | 6–14 (3–11) | 17 – Horne | 10 – Washington | 6 – Fleming Jr. | Banterra Center (0) Carbondale, IL |
| February 14, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Southern Illinois | L 49–59 | 6–15 (3–12) | 14 – Strong | 8 – Fleming Jr. | 3 – Horne | Banterra Center (0) Carbondale, IL |
| February 17, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Bradley | rescheduled for February 18, 2021 due to scheduling issues | rescheduled for February 18, 2021 due to scheduling issues | rescheduled for February 18, 2021 due to scheduling issues | rescheduled for February 18, 2021 due to scheduling issues | rescheduled for February 18, 2021 due to scheduling issues | Carver Arena Peoria, IL |
| February 18, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Bradley I-74 Rivalry | W 88–71 | 7–15 (4–12) | 20 – Washington | 8 – Washington | 5 – Fleming Jr. | Carver Arena (0) Peoria, IL |
| February 26, 2021 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | Northern Iowa | L 56–70 | 7–16 (4–13) | 18 – Mahorcic | 8 – Mahorcic | 4 – Fleming Jr. | Redbird Arena (0) Normal, IL |
| February 27, 2021 5:00 pm, CBSSN | | Northern Iowa | L 87–94 $^{2OT}$ | 7–17 (4–14) | 34 – Horne | 9 – Mahorcic | 5 – Horne | Redbird Arena (0) Normal, IL |
| State Farm Missouri Valley Conference {MVC} tournament |||||||||
| March 4, 2021* 8:08 pm, MVC-TV | (10) | vs. (7) Northern Iowa Opening Round | L 60–65 | 7–18 | 15 – Mahorcic | 7 – 3 tied | 4 – Horne | Enterprise Center (663) St. Louis, MO |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source
NOTE: limited capacity or no spectators allowed per the corresponding local COVID-19 health guidelines.