Okay so yesterday I decided I really wanted to catch every single Illinois State basketball game this season live. No way was I gonna miss a dunk or a three-pointer, you know? But man, figuring out where and when they play felt like trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing. Here’s how it went down, step by damn step.
The Hunt Begins
First thing in the morning, coffee in hand, I plopped down at my kitchen table with my laptop. Typed “Illinois State basketball schedule” straight into the search bar like anyone would. Found the official athletics site pretty quick, which looked promising. But then… crickets. The schedule page was there, sure, listing dates and opponents, but nothing about how to actually watch the darn games! Just venues – home game? Away game? Great. But not helpful for sitting on my couch.
Hitting Roadblocks
My next thought? TV listings. Searched “Illinois State basketball TV channel” or something like that. Results were a mess. Some sites talked about national sports channels carrying big college games, but Illinois State? Seemed mostly radio silence. I found a couple of sports news sites mentioning a handful of games maybe being on ESPN Plus or some regional sports network I probably don’t even get. But all games? Nope. No clear picture. This sucked.
The “Streaming” Rabbit Hole
Desperation started to set in around lunchtime. Started thinking about streaming. Typed “watch Illinois State basketball live stream” and wow – suddenly it was the Wild West. Pages promising “free live streams” everywhere, looking super sketchy with more pop-up ads than actual game info. Tried a couple that didn’t ask for credit card info immediately, just wanted me to disable my ad blocker. Did it against my better judgment. Instantly regretted it. Browser practically choked on the ads, and the stream link either didn’t work or took me to the wrong game entirely. Total time suck.
Asking Around (Sort Of)
Felt kinda stuck. My buddy Steve is into college hoops too, so I texted him: “Yo, how you watching Redbirds games?”. His reply? “ESPN+ I think? Mostly. Sometimes the MVC Network site?” Not exactly a comprehensive answer, and he wasn’t sure about the away games against non-conference teams. Made me realize maybe the conference itself was key. Headed back online.
The Conference Clue
Searched specifically for “Missouri Valley Conference basketball TV.” Bingo! Hit the MVC official site. Finally, some clearer info! They listed their main broadcast partners:
- For a bunch of conference games, they said ESPN Plus or ESPN3 (which is just online).
- Some bigger conference matchups maybe on CBS Sports Network.
- They also mentioned their own streaming platform, the “MVC TV Network” website, for certain games.
Okay, this felt like progress. But I still needed the specific Illinois State schedule with broadcast info attached.
Putting It Together (Mostly)
Went back to the Illinois State athletics site. Armed with the MVC info, I scrolled their schedule again. This time, I noticed some games did have tiny little icons or text links near them. Clicking on a home game against a conference rival showed options like:
- Watch Live: MVC TV Network
- Listen Live: Link to local radio station
For an away game at a bigger school? Clicked it and saw:
- Watch Live: ESPN Plus
So the broadcasts basically depend on:
Who they play and Where they play.
- Home MVC games? Good chance it’s on the MVC TV site.
- Away MVC games? Might be the MVC site, might be the opponent’s streaming platform.
- Games against bigger schools from other conferences? Often ESPN Plus or sometimes actual TV.
- Games against smaller schools? Might be only on their school’s specific streaming platform or the MVC site.
My Stupid Mistake
Right then, my wife asked if I could look at the rattling sound the AC unit was making. Totally distracted me. Got back half an hour later, completely forgot I hadn’t checked a game happening in a totally different timezone. Almost missed the tip-off! Moral? Always, always double-check the start time and the time zone! Almost screwed that up big time.
My Plan Now (Still Kinda Annoying)
So here’s the deal. There’s no magic channel or one streaming service for all Illinois State games. You gotta be a bit of a detective for each game:
- Check the official Illinois State Athletics schedule page religiously. Click each upcoming game link – that’s where they hide the specific watch/listen links.
- Keep ESPN Plus subscription handy. A lot of games seem to end up there.
- Bookmark the MVC TV Network website. Gotta log in with my cable provider info sometimes. Still figuring out which games land here.
- For away games against non-MVC teams? Prepare to hunt. Go to that opponent’s athletics website schedule to see what streaming service they use.
- Accept that a few obscure games might require buying a single game pass on some small college’s platform.
Tried it last night for a non-conference away game. Found the “Watch” link on ISU’s schedule pointing to the opponent’s site. Went there, had to pay $10 for a single-game digital pass. Stream quality was okayish, picture froze a couple times, and honestly, the announcers weren’t great. But hey, I saw the game! So the plan technically works… it just feels like a chore compared to having everything in one place. Wish it were simpler, but this is what it takes to watch my Redbirds.
