Redbirds Take on South Carolina in Puerto Rico Tip-Off at Myrtle Beach

CONWAY, S.C. - Illinois State looks for its first win of the 2017-18 season on Thursday, November 16 when the team faces off against South Carolina in the first round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off at Myrtle Beach.

GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State Redbirds (0-1 0-0) vs. (RV) South Carolina Gamecocks (2-0)
When: Thursday, November 16, 2017
Tip-Off: 10:30 a.m. (CT)
Location: Conway, S.C.
Arena: HTC Center
TV: ESPN2
    Rich Hollenberg, play-by-play
    LaPhonso Ellis, analyst
Radio: Illinois State Radio Network
    Greg Halbleib, play-by-play
    Mike Matthews, analyst
Live Stats: Puerto Rico Tip-Off at Myrtle Beach StatBroadcast
 

SETTING THE TABLE

• Since 2012, Illinois State has played five games against teams that had avanced to the NCAA Final Four a season earlier.
• Illinois State is 104-66 over its last five-plus seasons (all during the Dan Muller tenure). That is the most wins, and highest win percentage, of any NCAA Division I school within the state of Illinois.
• Illinois State is 25-8 over its last 10 in-season tournaments, dating back to the 2008-09 season.
• In each of the last four seasons, Illinois State has exceeded its preseason coaches poll prediction.
• 2017-18 marks the first time that Illinois State has scheduled two SEC opponents in the same season.
• Illinois State has faced just one team from the state of South Carolina in the program's history.
• Dan Muller's 104 wins through the first five seasons of his career put him in a tie for the second-most wins over the same span in program history, trailing only his former head coach Kevin Stallings' 107 wins.
• Keyshawn Evans and Phil Fayne each scored 20 points against Florida Gulf Coast, becoming the first teammates to each score 20 or more points in the same game since Tyler Brown and Jackie Carmichael accomplished the feat at Utah State on February 23, 2013.
• Keyshawn Evans leads the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring, averaging 28.0 points per game, and his 7.0 three-point makes per game ranks second in NCAA Division I.
• Illinois State is 5-1 all-time on November 16.
• Milik Yarbrough nearly became the first player in program history with a triple-double, as he had eight points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists against Florida Gulf Coast. His 10.0 assist per game average leads the Missouri Valley Conference, and is seventh-best in NCAA Division I.

SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS

South Carolina, who advanced to the Final Four of last season's NCAA Tournament, comes into the tournament with an unblemished 2-0 record with wins at Wofford and at home against Western Michigan.

In the 78-60 win over Western Michigan, South Carolina was led by Hassani Gravett who scored 15 points, including making all three of his long-range tries, while Frank Booker scored 14 points. Chris Silva had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double, with Maik Kotsar scoring 10 points. Felipe Haase nearly had a double-double with seven points and nine rebounds, while also leading the team with three assists.

This season, Booker leads three players in double-figure scoring average with 13.0 points per game, and has made 6-of-11 long-range shots over the two games. Kotsar averages 11.5 points, while Gravett puts up 10.0 per game. Silva (9.5), Haase (8.5), and Wesley Myers (7.0) are all near the double-figure scoring plateau.

Silva has pulled down 20 rebounds over the two games to lead the team, while Haase has 14 boards. As a team, South Carolina out-rebounds its opponents 43-to-30 through two games in the season. Kotsar and Gravett each have five assists to pace the Gamecocks. Chris Silva leads the team with three blocked shots, while he and Kotsar each have a team-high three steals.

FINAL FOUR SCHEDULING

Since Dan Muller has taken over the reigns of the program, he has made a concerted effort in putting together a difficult non-conference schedule. As part of the scheduling this season is South Carolina, who advanced to the NCAA Final Four last season. Starting with the 2012-13 season, Illinois State has had five games against teams that played in the Final Four the year before: Louisville (2012 Final Four), Wichita State (twice, 2013 Final Four), Kentucky (2015 Final Four), and South Carolina (2017 Final Four).

BEST IN THE STATE

Over the last five-plus seasons, there has been one NCAA Division I school in the state of Illinois to have a winning record five times - Illinois State. During current head coach Dan Muller's tenure, the Redbirds have experienced a level of success that is unrivaled among the other 12 Division I schools within the state. ISU is 104-66 over the last five-plus seasons seasons, and the next best program's record - Illinois'- is 99-76.

IN-SEASON TOURNAMENTS

Over the course of the program's history, Illinois State has taken part in numerous in-season tournaments, including in each of the last nine seasons. Over the last nine seasons, the Redbirds have a 25-8 during the in-season tournaments.

MOST RECENT IN-SEASON TOURNAMENTS