Even if they don’t have a national brand, the Illinois State Redbirds have a proud history and a promising future on the basketball court. Among the team’s fanbase, last-minute Illinois State basketball tickets have always been in high demand. The Redbirds have long been one of the more intriguing and competitive programs in the Missouri Valley Conference, which is one of the best mid-major conferences in the country. It’s a program that expects to make noise every March, which is why cheap Illinois State basketball tickets are sometimes hard to find.

Crazy in the 80s

While Illinois State had success at the Division II level throughout the 1930s and 40s, the program first experienced success at the Division I level in the 80s. Under head coach Bob Donewald, the Redbirds went to the NCAA Tournament in three straight seasons starting in 1983, making the tournament twice as an at-large team. As an at-large team, Illinois State won their first-round game in 1984 and 1985, beating Alabama and USC, respectively. Donewald’s success in the 80s led to further success in the 90s under coaches Bob Bender and Kevin Stallings. In those ten seasons, the Redbirds went to the NCAA Tournament three more times while winning four regular-season Missouri Valley titles.

21st Century Blues

Unfortunately for Illinois State, the program fell on hard times after the turn of the century. Outside of a long string of NIT appearances, the Redbirds struggled to find traction and get back to the big stage. However, the return of former player Dan Muller in 2012 breathed new life into the program, ultimately leading to a share of the Missouri Valley regular-season title in 2017. Muller is one of the most decorated players in Illinois State history and could be the perfect person to lead the Redbirds back to prominence.