Illinois State Redbirds women's basketball

Illinois State Redbirds
Illinois State Redbirds
	2024–25 Illinois State Redbirds women's basketball team
University	Illinois State University
Head coach	Kristen Gillespie (8th season)
Conference	Missouri Valley
Location	Normal, Illinois
Arena	CEFCU Arena ; (capacity: 10,200)
Nickname	Redbirds
Colors	Red and white;
Uniforms
Home	Away
NCAA tournament round of 32
	1989
NCAA tournament appearances
	1983, 1985, 1989, 2005, 2008, 2022
AIAW tournament Sweet Sixteen
	1981
AIAW tournament appearances
	1972, 1974, 1981
Conference tournament champions
	1983, 1989, 2005, 2008, 2022
Conference regular-season champions
	1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2023

Last updated October 06, 2025

The Illinois State Redbirds women's basketball team represents Illinois State University, located in Normal, Illinois, in NCAA Division I basketball competition.^[2]

History

Illinois State began play in 1971. As of the end of 2023–2024 season, the Redbirds have an all-time record of 861–692.

They have:

Made the NCAA tournament in 1983, 1985, 1989, 2005, 2008, and 2022.
Made the WNIT in 1980, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1996, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2021, 2023, and 2024.^[3]
Won the regular season title in 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2008 (shared), 2009, 2010, and 2023 (shared).
Won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament in 1983, 1989, 2005, 2008, and 2022.

Postseason results

NCAA Division I

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
1983	6	First round	(3) Kansas State	L 72−91
1985	#8	First Round	#1 Louisiana Tech	L 57−81
1989	#7	First Round Second Round	#10 Northwestern State #2 Stanford	W 100–79 L 77−105
2005	#15	First Round	#2 Baylor	L 70−91
2008	#13	First Round	#4 Oklahoma	L 61−69
2022	#15	First Round	#2 Iowa	L 58−69

AIAW Division I

The Redbirds made three appearances in the AIAW National Division I basketball tournament, with a combined record of 2–5.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1972	First Round Consolation First Round	Mississippi State for Women Long Beach State	L, 41–59 L, 42–48
1974	First Round Consolation First Round Consolation Second Round	Stephen F. Austin Utah State Queens (NY)	L, 41–59 W, 74–46 L, 48–52
1981	First Round Second Round	Texas Tennessee	W, 66–63 L, 63–78

References

↑ Redbird Athletics Identity Manual (PDF). November 29, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
↑ "Illinois State Athletics".
↑ "2023 2024WBBRecordBook (PDF)" (PDF). Illinois State University Athletics. Retrieved 2025-10-05.

External links

Official website

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[1] Redbird Athletics Identity Manual (PDF). November 29, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2019.

[2] "Illinois State Athletics".

[3] "2023 2024WBBRecordBook (PDF)" (PDF). Illinois State University Athletics. Retrieved 2025-10-05.

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[2]

[3]

v t e Illinois State Redbirds women's basketball
Venues	Horton Fieldhouse (1971–1988) CEFCU Arena (1989–present)
Rivalries	Bradley
Culture & lore	Reggie Redbird "Go, You Redbirds"
People	Head coaches
Seasons	List of seasons 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

v t e Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball
Teams	Belmont Bruins Bradley Braves Drake Bulldogs Evansville Purple Aces Illinois State Redbirds Indiana State Sycamores Murray State Racers Northern Iowa Panthers Southern Illinois Salukis UIC Flames Valparaiso Beacons
Tournament & awards	Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball tournament Jackie Stiles Player of the Year
Seasons	1983–84 1983–84 1984–84 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

v t e Illinois State University
Academic colleges	Applied Science and Technology Business Education Fine Arts
Athletics	Men's basketball Women's basketball Fight song Football Reggie Redbird
Facilities	Duffy Bass Field Fell Arboretum Hancock Stadium John W. Cook Hall Horton Fieldhouse CEFCU Arena University High School Watterson Towers
News and radio	The Vidette WGLT WZND-LP
Related	List of Illinois State University alumni