2014 – 15 Illinois State Redbirds men 's basketball team represented Illinois State University during the 2014 – 15 NCAA Division I men 's basketball season . The Redbirds , led by third year head coach Dan Muller , played their home games at Redbird Arena and were members of the Missouri Valley Conference . They finished the season 22 – 13 , 11 – 7 in MVC play to finish in a tie for third place . They advanced to the championship game of the Missouri Valley Tournament where they lost to Northern Iowa . They were invited to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Green Bay in the first round before losing in the second round to Old Dominion . On April 7 , while flying home from attending the NCAA Tournament national title game , associate head coach Torrey Ward , along with deputy athletic director Aaron Leetch , were killed in a plane crash of a twin-engine Cessna 414 , which had taken off from an Indianapolis airport , just short of Central Illinois Regional Airport . The Redbirds finished the season 18 – 16 , 9 – 9 in MVC play to finish in a three way tie four fourth place . They lost in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament to Missouri State . They were invited to the College Basketball Invitational where they defeated Morehead State and Texas A&M to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Siena
Missouri Valley Tournament
2015 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
2014–15 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team