University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Illinois State
UNI men’s basketball visits Illinois State in midweek matchup
1/20/2026 8:54:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MVC preseason favorites meet on Wednesday night at CEFCU Arena on ESPNU.
UNI men's basketball (12-7 / 4-4 MVC) at Illinois State (13-6 / 5-3 MVC)
- 8 p.m. CT
- Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026
- Normal, Ill. | CEFCU Arena (10,200)
- WATCH (ESPNU) [Clay Matvick: Play-by-Play / Kevin Lehman: Analyst]
- LISTEN (Panther Sports Radio Network) [J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Kevin Boyle: Analyst]
- LIVE RESULTS
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) preseason favorites are set to clash on Wednesday night as the UNI men's basketball matches up with the Illinois State Redbirds in league play.
Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT at CEFCU Arena in Normal with live coverage available on ESPNU and the Panther Sports Radio Network (93.5 The Mix) with J.W. Cox and Kevin Boyle on the call.
The Panthers hold a narrow 47-45 lead in the all-time series after sweeping both regular season matchups from the Redbirds last season, both one possession games. In Normal last January, Northern Iowa won by a score of 85-84 thanks to a game-winning layup at the buzzer, while the Panthers topped Illinois State at home last February in a 68-65 comeback win.
UNI will look to jump start its offense and snap a season-long four-game skid on Wednesday following a tough 54-44 loss at Valparaiso over the weekend. The Panthers were held to 33% shooting with a season-low in points scored all while being held scoreless in the final four and a half minutes.
Ben Schwieger led UNI with ten points in the loss at Valparaiso, while Max Weisbrod scored nine points with six rebounds, along with nine points from Trey Campbell. Will Hornseth tallied eight points and a team-high eight rebounds with Leon Bond III adding eight points and five boards.
UNI leads all of Division I men's basketball in scoring defense with 59.7 points allowed per game, giving up 70 points just three times this season. The Panthers are 9-1 when holding opponents to 60 or fewer points this year.
Northern Iowa is also second in Division I in three-point percentage defense, limiting opponents to just 25.6% from beyond the arc. Entering their game against Illinois State, the Panthers have held eight of their last nine opponents under 30% from three-point range.
UNI's scoring defense is currently on pace for the fourth-best mark since transitioning to a Division I program (1980-81). The Panthers have made the NCAA Tournament each of the previous three seasons when giving up 60 points or fewer. The Panthers are also 26th in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.397), while also securing the ball with just 9.2 turnovers per game on offense, seventh-fewest in Division I.
Campbell looks to continue to add to the record book against the Beacons. Having scored his 1,000th career point in December, Campbell's 115 career starts at UNI are tied for fifth -most in program history alongside Deon Mitchell (2011-15) and the most among all active players in the MVC.
Hornseth looks to continue to be a strong presence inside the paint, recently taking over as UNI's career shooting percentage leader (63.6%) with a minimum of 100 made shots. Bond meanwhile looks to continue his march to 500 points in his UNI career, looking to become the 117th player in team history to reach the milestone.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE
The Redbirds, who were picked first in the MVC's preseason poll, enter Wednesday's game after snapping a three-game skid on Saturday with an 88-62 rout of Bradley. Illinois State, led by fourth year head coach Ryan Pedon, is coming off a 22-win campaign last season that culminated in a College Basketball Invitational title in the postseason.
The Redbirds have been effective on both ends of the floor, scoring 79.3 points per game on 48.4% shooting, the second-highest mark in the league. Illinois State also boasts a strong defense with 67.1 points allowed, second in the MVC only to UNI.
MVC Preseason Player of the Year Chase Walker leads the Redbirds with 14.2 points per game, along with 5.9 rebounds. Johnny Kinzinger has put up 11.8 points for Illinois State, with Ty'Reek Coleman (10.7 PPG) and Boden Skunberg (10.5 PPG) also averaging double-digit scoring figures.
UNI men's basketball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Men's Basketball), X (@UNImbb) and on Instagram (@uni_basketball). Schedule and roster information, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
