NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State is striving to extend its three-game winning streak and sweep the I-74 Rivalry series versus Bradley for the second-straight year when the Redbirds host the Braves Sunday, Feb. 14 at 3 p.m. on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. ISU won the first meeting, 55-52, Jan. 20 at Carver Arena in Peoria, Illinois, with Deontae Hawkins matching a career high with 15 rebounds and Paris Lee scoring 16 points. ISU has won six of its last seven games.
BRADLEY AT ILLINOIS STATE • SUNDAY, FEB. 14, 2016 • 3 P.M.
THE SERIES:
Sunday's game marks the 122nd meeting between Illinois State and Bradley. BU leads the all-time series, 63-58; however, the Redbirds have won four-straight and 12 of the last 14. Versus the Braves, ISU is 36-19 at home and 22-5 in Redbird Arena, having won eight-straight games at home. Head Coach Dan Muller is 5-2 against BU.
THE COACHES:
Illinois State: Dan Muller (Illinois State, 1998) is in his fourth season as the head coach at Illinois State (72-55). Muller is the first coach in ISU history to beat four Top-25 teams in his first four seasons.
Bradley: Brian Wardle (Marquette, 2001) is in his first season as the head coach at Bradley (4-22). Wardle was the head coach at Green Bay from 2010-15, leading the Phoenix to the 2014 Horizon League championship.
ABOUT ILLINOIS STATE:
Picked to finish fourth (out of 10 teams) in the Missouri Valley Conference ... return three of five starters and six of 13 letterwinners from last year's team, which went 22-13 overall, advancing to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament ... tied for third place in the 2014-15 MVC standings (11-7) ... feature MVC preseason team selection DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell ... defeated five Top-25 teams in five-straight seasons for the first time ever.
ABOUT BRADLEY:
Picked to finish 10th (out of 10 teams) in the Missouri Valley Conference ... return one of four starters and three of 13 letterwinners from last year's team, which recorded a 9-24 overall record and a 3-15 MVC mark (10th place) ... as the youngest team in college basketball, Bradley's roster includes 10 freshmen who have combined to play more than 80 percent of the team's minutes this season, while scoring more than 80 percent of the team's points.
I-74 RIVALRY
Separated by just 36.9 miles on Interstate 74, Illinois State and Bradley meet for the 122nd time in the I-74 Rivalry series dating back to January 25, 1905. ISU has won 12 of its last 14 games against the Braves for the first time in series history, marking ISU's best record over 14 games throughout the series. Bradley's best stretch was when BU won 13 of 14 games from 1921 through 1975. The Redbirds enter Sunday's contest on a four-game winning streak against Bradley after sweeping the series last year. Head coach Dan Muller, who is 5-2 versus BU as a coach, was 5-3 against Bradley as a player from 1994-98.
CLIMBING
With a 70-60 win at Evansville (Feb. 11), Illinois State moved into sole possession of second place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, as ISU improved to 9-4 in league play, with five games remaining, for the first time since the 2007-08 season. That year, the Redbirds improved to 10-4 before suffering their fifth loss. They went on to finish second in the league with a 13-5 conference mark, advancing to the NIT.
NICK'S NIGHT
Junior forward Nick Banyard had the best offensive night of his collegiate basketball career, scoring a career-high 18 points on a career-best eight field goals in the win at Evansville (Feb. 11), surpassing his previous career high of 11 points. He has averaged 10.7 points per game over the last three contests.
FINDING ANOTHER GEAR
Sophomore forward MiKyle McIntosh has increased his offensive productivity in Missouri Valley Conference play, averaging 12.3 points per game against league foes compared to 9.8 points per game during the non-conference season. McIntosh has averaged a team-best 14.6 points through Illinois State's last nine contests, netting double figures in six of the last nine games. The Pickering, Ontario, native has scored a career-high 25 points twice this season.
CRASHING THE GLASS
After being outrebounded in eight of their first 10 games (going 4-6 with a -4.2 rebounding margin), the Redbirds have outrebounded the opposition in 12 of their last 16 contests (going 11-5 with a +3.6 rebounding margin). ISU is 12-2 when outrebounding its opponent and 3-9 when outrebounded.
DOUBLE-DIGIT DeVAUGHN
Senior guard DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell has scored in double figures in 25 of Illinois State's 26 games this season, and dating back to last season, 31 of the last 33 games. Akoon-Purcell reached double figures in ISU's first 20 games of the season before being held to seven points versus Northern Iowa (Jan. 23). He has recorded 20 or more points four times in 2015-16 and is averaging 14.6 points (seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference) and 4.9 rebounds per contest (14th in the MVC). Akoon-Purcell has led ISU in scoring 12 times this season.
SHOCKING UPSET
With Illinois State's 58-53 upset victory over No. 21 Wichita State (Feb. 6) on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena, ISU snapped WSU's 12-game winning streak and handed the Shockers their first Missouri Valley Conference loss of the season. The Redbirds have won two-straight games versus the Shockers, with ISU also defeating No. 8 Wichita State in last year's MVC Tournament semifinal game (March 7, 2015). Over the last two-and-a-half seasons, Illinois State's two victories over the Shockers are the most by any Valley team. From 2013-14 until Feb. 6, WSU went 50-3 versus MVC foes, falling to Illinois State twice and Northern Iowa once (during the 2014-15 regular season).
BEATING THE BEST
By beating No. 21 Wichita State (Feb. 6), Illinois State has now defeated a Top-25 team in each of the last five seasons, marking the first time in program history that the Redbirds have accomplished such a feat. Fourth-year head coach Dan Muller is also the first-ever Redbird head coach to defeat a Top-25 team in each of his first four seasons, and he is tied with Bob Donewald for most Top-25 victories by an ISU head coach. The Redbirds have recorded 12 wins over Top-25 programs, meaning Muller's teams have accounted for one-third of those victories. The Feb. 6 triumph over No. 21 Wichita State also marked ISU's first win over a ranked MVC foe in Normal, Illinois, since beating No. 9 Tulsa in 1984 at Horton Field House. It was also the first-ever win over a ranked MVC foe at Redbird Arena and the second overall victory against a Top-25 foe at Redbird Arena (with the last one occurring Dec. 7, 2013 versus No. 25 Dayton).
COMEBACK ATTACK
Illinois State trailed by as many as 16 points with 18:48 remaining in the second half, but the Redbirds ultimately came back to upset No. 21 Wichita State (Feb. 6), marking ISU's largest deficit overcome in a win this season, which is tied for the seventh-best comeback in program history. In nine of Illinois State's 15 victories this season, the Redbirds have overcome deficits of eight points or more to win.
FINDING A WAY
One game after shooting a season-high 28-for-48 (58.3 percent) from the field in ISU's win at Loyola (Feb. 3), the Redbirds shot a season-low 15-for-55 (27.3 percent) from the field, yet still managed to win, in Illinois State's victory over then-No. 21 Wichita State (Feb. 6). ISU outrebounded WSU, 46-35.
LEE-DING THE REDBIRDS
Junior point guard Paris Lee scored a career-high 19 points on 5-for-11 shooting from the field and a 7-for-8 effort at the free throw line to lead Illinois State in its upset victory over No. 21 Wichita State (Feb. 6). Lee also recorded three steals and one assist. After being held to six first-half points, Lee was instrumental in Illinois State's second-half comeback by netting 13, including a jumper at the 6:32 mark to break the tie, and give ISU a lead it never relinquished. Lee than went 4-for-4 at the free throw line in the final 2:57 to secure the Redbird victory. Lee ranks fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 10.6 points per game.
WHAT A WEEK
After playing an instrumental role in Illinois State's victories over then-No. 21 Wichita State (Feb. 6) and at Loyola (Feb. 3), sophomore forward Deontae Hawkins was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week (Feb. 8). Hawkins averaged a team-best 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game through ISU's past two wins. He shot 10-for-21 (47.6 percent) from the field, 5-for-10 (50.0 percent) from beyond the arc and 3-for-3 at the free throw line. Hawkins is the first Redbird to earn MVC Player of the Week accolades since Tyler Brown (Feb. 11, 2013, following Illinois State's Feb. 9 win at No. 16 Creighton).
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