Wake Forest Tops Navy in NIT Opener, Falls to Illinois State in Second Round

Wake Forest's 2025-26 men's basketball season ended one win short of the NIT quarterfinals, as Illinois State rallied past the Deacons 78-75 in the second round to close out a postseason that had opened with genuine promise.

The Deacons had earned their NIT berth and made the most of home-court advantage in the first round on March 18, pulling away from Navy for an 82-72 victory in Winston-Salem. The 10-point margin suggested a measure of control, enough to send Wake Forest into the second round with momentum.

Illinois State had other plans. The Redbirds clawed back to hand Wake Forest a 78-75 defeat, a three-point margin that reflects how close the Deacons came to advancing further. The rally denied Wake Forest a trip to the NIT quarterfinals and ended what had been the program's postseason run for 2026.

The two-game NIT run caps a season in which Wake Forest qualified for postseason play but could not break through past the second round. The loss to Illinois State leaves the program with work to do heading into the offseason, as the coaching staff will evaluate a roster that was competitive enough to earn an NIT bid but not quite enough to sustain it across multiple rounds against mid-major opposition.