Paris Lee waits for that sliver of a second when a ballhandler momentarily loosens his grip or eases his concentration.

The senior point guard had three steals in Illinois State's victory Wednesday night against Northern Iowa, and each was momentous. In the first half, as a Northern Iowa player searched for an option to pass, Lee sensed that hint of uncertainty and swooped in like an eagle snatching a mouse.

Lee darted down the court, his red-tipped dreadlocks flapping in his wake, for a layup that helped the Redbirds out of a frigid early scoring stretch.

"I try to bait them into doing it," explained Lee, a Maywood native and Proviso East product. "I try to make it seem like I'm not there. I'm like (acting passive), and then I just go get it. Most of the time it has to do with (what I learned from) the scouting report."

His defense can be summed up as "first you don't see him, now you do."

The same might be said of Illinois State.

The Redbirds (19-4, 11-0), contenders in the Missouri Valley Conference the last two seasons, have sole possession of first place as they take a 12-game winning streak into Saturday night's ESPN2 showdown at Wichita State (20-4, 10-1), whom they defeated 76-62 on Jan. 14 in Normal.

ISU, which hasn't lost at home in 18 games, last went to the NCAA tournament in 1998. The Redbirds lost in the MVC tournament quarterfinals last season and in the championship game in 2015.

Could this be the year they break through?

"They just want it to be their turn," said coach Dan Muller, a forward on that 1997-98 team that finished 25-6, including a first-round overtime win over Tennessee.

"I've got a lot of former teammates who love this program. We've put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this program. ... It's my job to get us there."

Paris Lee John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune

Illinois State guard Paris Lee is introduced in the starting lineup before a game against Northern Iowa at Redbird Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, in Normal, Ill.

Illinois State guard Paris Lee is introduced in the starting lineup before a game against Northern Iowa at Redbird Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, in Normal, Ill.

(John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

Through Wednesday's games, ESPN's Joe Lunardi projected the Redbirds as a No. 11 seed in the NCAA tournament, and CBSSports.com's Jerry Palm had them as a No. 12 seed. But true to the often unfair life of a mid-major team, they have to be nearly perfect from here on out.

It won't be easy with No. 2 scorer and rebounder MiKyle McIntosh expected to miss three weeks after undergoing surgery this week for a torn meniscus in his right knee. And scoring can be a challenge for the Redbirds, who hit just 9 of 26 shots in the first half against Northern Iowa and for the season are shooting 44.3 percent.

But their defense. Oh, that defense.

The Redbirds rank fourth nationally in field-goal percentage defense (37.1 percent) and 10th in scoring defense (61.6 points per game). They held three opponents in December to less than 26 percent shooting.

"I've honestly never been on a team like this with this mentality defensively," Muller said. "This has become a life of its own. They talk about defense nonstop. They get mad when they let each other down. If they have a bad defensive segment in practice, one of our captains is usually saying, 'Coach, we need to keep doing this.'"

Lee forms the backbone with two fellow seniors, forward Deontae Hawkins and guard Tony Wills. Lee said he earned his defensive chops playing for defense-first coach Donnie Boyce at Proviso East and competing on Chicago YMCA courts with his brother and friends, who were six years older.

"I was always the youngest on the court," Lee said. "I had no choice but to be tough."

Paris Lee John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune

Paris Lee celebrates the 57-51 win over Northern Iowa at Redbird Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, in Normal, Ill.

Paris Lee celebrates the 57-51 win over Northern Iowa at Redbird Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, in Normal, Ill.

(John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

He was the first recruit to commit to Muller during the fifth-year coach's first season. He's averaging career bests of 13.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists this season to go with 2.22 steals per game, tied for 17th in the nation.

Lee set the ISU career steals record this season and is the NCAA's active career leader with 234.

"He's a freak with that," Muller said. "You can't teach his instinct defensively. I knew when we recruited him, he would be a really, really good defender. Now he truly is one of the best defenders in the country."

The Redbirds haven't lost since Lee began wearing the red sneakers of former ISU assistant coach Torrey Ward, who died in a plane crash with other athletic staff in 2015. The team wears a No. 7 patch to honor the seven lost lives.

Muller said the memory of Ward continues to inspire them this season.

"That will never go away," he said.

Muller didn't hedge when asked how much he wants to see Lee and the other seniors go out in style.

"It would be the most important thing I ever did as a professional," he said. "I would be crushed if we don't get (to the NCAA tournament). It would give me a lot of joy to see them happy because they've worked hard and earned something. This is their last chance."

sryan@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @sryantribune

Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.