Jenny Yopp, Illinois State basketball coach, calls the University of Illinois team 'talented but young.' Until this week, coaches and media members called it 'one of the nation's Top 25.'
"They're talented, but young," said Yopp of the Illini, No. 24 in the nation before this week's polls. "They have good size and will try to run the ball offensively, but slow you down on defense with a zone."
The Redbirds, 1-5, take-on their neighbors from 50-miles down Interstate 74 at 7 p.m., Thursday in Redbird Arena. Yopp's team will be playing its first home game since its Nov. 19 win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Both teams are youth-oriented: nine of the 13 Illinois State players are freshmen or sophomores and eight of 12 Illini are in their first or second year. Both teams' top two scorers are freshmen--Illinois' Yveta Marcauskaite (12.5) and Anne O'Neil (12.0); Illinois State's
Sharon Blade (12.2) and
Jaci McCormack(8.5).
After four straight losses away from home, Yopp's team will be happy to see its home floor no matter the opponent.
"I'm sure our players will be as excited to be playing at home as they are to play Illinois," said Yopp, who appreciates the building job done by coach Theresa Grentz during her tenure in Champaign. "She has done a terrific job over the past six years, bringing in good talent and having success."
Ironically, the ranked run of the Illini, 2-4, was ended by one of the Missouri Valley Conference's stronger programs, Northern Iowa, which beat the Illini 74-70 on Saturday. A Tuesday home loss to Texas was Illinois' fourth straight.
But nobody can say the Illini have dodged anyone in scheduling. Grentz's group already has faced Clemson, Tennessee, Kansas and Texas. Coming up soon are Connecticut, DePaul, Missouri and Auburn--plus the Big Ten Conference.
With the youngest team in the Missouri Valley Conference, Yopp also appreciates strong scheduling with a young team.
"We could have gone out and padded our non-conference schedule with teams from No. 250 to 300 in the RPI," said Yopp. "I asked our players if they wished they could have played an easier non-conference schedule. They all said 'No.'"
So the Redbirds will say "Yes" to playing Illinois. After final examinations next week, they will resume their schedule against 6-1 Missouri Dec. 17 at Redbird Arena.
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