1986–87 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team

1986–87 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball
NIT, Quarterfinal
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record19–13 (7–7 MVC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Pat Cunningham
  • Anthony Jones
  • Bill Zuiker
  • Dave Hall
  • Parker Laketa
Home arenaHorton Field House
1986–87 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Tulsa 11 3   .786 22 8   .733
Bradley 10 4   .714 17 12   .586
Wichita State 9 5   .643 22 11   .667
Illinois State 7 7   .500 19 13   .594
Drake 6 8   .429 17 14   .548
Southern Illinois 5 9   .357 12 17   .414
Indiana State 4 10   .286 9 20   .310
Creighton 4 10   .286 9 19   .321
1987 MVC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1986–87 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team represented Illinois State University during the 1986–87 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Redbirds, led by ninth year head coach Bob Donewald, played their home games at Horton Field House and were a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

The Redbirds finished the season 19–13, 7–7 in conference play to finish in fourth place. They were the number three seed in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament as Bradley University was on probation and therefore banned from postseason competition. They were victorious in a quarterfinal game versus Indiana State University and lost in a semifinal game versus Wichita State University.

The Redbirds received an at-large bid to the 1987 National Invitation Tournament. They defeated the University of Akron in the first round, Cleveland State University in the second round, and lost to the La Salle University in the quarterfinal round.