Sports

The ISU men are set to make their first trip to the NIT since 2017, while the Redbird women are returning to the WNIT, where they were a semifinalist last year.

The Redbirds fell to No. 10 seed Evansville, 75-70, in the MVC Tournament semifinals at Xtreme Arena in Coralville, Iowa.

The third-seeded Redbirds, who improve to 20-12 on the season, advance to Saturday’s 4 p.m. semifinal against No. 10 seed Evansville which upset No. 2 seed Belmont, 76-63, earlier Friday.

The short story of Josh Roop’s upcoming induction into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame is told in numbers. In 19 seasons, his Tri-Valley High School teams have won 76 percent of their games, highlighted by a state championship and two runner-up finishes. A 156-49 record includes 16 trips to the playoffs.

A strong finish to the regular season helped the Illinois State men's basketball team get a favorable seed in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament this weekend in St. Louis. Their first game will be Friday night.

The standout basketball player from Bloomington seized opportunities on the court. As a coach, he's been more patient, waiting for the right head coaching job to come along.

An upcoming strategic planning retreat for the Normal Town Council will help focus on issues for the next several years. Mayor Chris Koos said one idea that has surfaced in focus groups is a sports complex.

Illinois State University basketball legend Doug Collins will now be forever linked to a part of campus that helped transform him into an All-American and — ultimately — a basketball Hall of Famer.

The Redbirds' improbable win over NDSU, two months after ISU lost to the Bison in Normal, lifted ISU into the FCS quarterfinals for a postseason rematch with UC-Davis at 4 p.m. Saturday.

The Redbirds received at at-large bid to the 24-team field and will play at No. 16 seed Southeastern Louisiana at noon, Saturday, Nov. 29, in Hammond, Louisiana.