For the first time in nearly a quarter century, Illinois State University's men's basketball team is the preseason favorite to win the Missouri Valley Conference.
Speaking on the show Field of 68, head coach Ryan Pedon said he's glad most of last year's starters decided to return and not enter the transfer portal.
"I felt really good about the connectedness we had with those guys, but you never know because some guys are motivated by different things. Some guys are motivated solely by money. Some of them have a chip on their shoulder and they want to prove people wrong," said Pedon.
Pedon is in his fourth year as head coach. The team record has improved each season. Pedon said he focuses on program-building, not constructing a team for a single season. He also sounded a note of caution.
"And I realize we are a trendy team right now because we have guys returning, but the reality is there's a lot of good teams in our league. There's a lot of good coaches," said Pedon.
Pedon said the team also picked up promising point guard Landon Moore from Butler out of the transfer portal.
Defending MVC champion Northern Iowa came in second in the preseason poll, followed by Murray State. Belmont checked in behind Bradley — which topped last year's preseason rankings — to round out the top five. ISU had 34 first-place votes, with UNI receiving eight and Murray State getting four.
ISU was last picked to win the men's basketball title in 2001-02. It marks the fifth time the Redbirds have been preseason favorites since the MVC preseason poll history began in 1985-86.
