Five home dates, including ESPNs Bracket Buster II, and three of four road games to be played in the state, highlight the 2003-04 Illinois State mens basketball non-conference schedule which was officially released on Tuesday.
Head coach Porter Moser will have his work cut out for him in his inaugural season with the Redbirds as Illinois State will face four teams, including three on the road, that ranked in the top 100 of the RPI College Basketball Ratings last season.
Im looking forward to building a home-court advantage at Illinois State again, Moser said. I played in Horton Field House and Redbird Arena and I know how electric it can be. Im prepared to go speak at every student group and community function in town. Im going to make this happen.
Being from Illinois and after taking this job, I was glad to see that we were able to keep the Illinois game on our schedule, Moser said. This game is great for our program, our fans and the state of Illinois. Its a fantastic instate rivalry, one that I would like to see every year.
For the second time in three years, after an 18-year hiatus, the Redbirds will face intrastate rival Illinois in Champaign. In a game slated for Jan. 3, the Birds will face longtime foe Bruce Weber in his first season with the Illini after a five-year stint at Southern Illinois.
The Illini finished last season with a 25-7 mark and a No. 16 ranking in the RPI. Weber owns a 7-3 mark against the Birds.
In addition to traveling to Illinois, the Redbirds will face Northern Illinois and Illinois-Chicago on the road. The Huskies topped Illinois State 72-65 in Redbird Arena last season and finished with a 17-14 record. The Redbirds will face NIU on November 26.
Along with Illinois, playing Northern Illinois and UIC is also good for our fans, Moser added. These are teams that people in the area know. Our players also know their players, which makes for strong rivalries.
On December 13, the Redbirds will battle Illinois-Chicago in the Windy City for the first time since 1999. The Flames topped the Birds last season 78-65 in Normal, before posting a 21-9 record and advancing to the National Invitation Tournament. UIC finished the year ranked No. 80 in the RPI.
Rounding out the away portion of the non-conference slate, the Redbirds will make a return trip to Utah State on November 29. The Aggies dropped the Birds in the season opener 68-53, before losing to NCAA runner-up Kansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Utah State finished with a 22-9 record, while ranking No. 86 in the RPI.
For the fourth straight season, Illinois State will open the campaign in Redbird Arena, which will celebrate its 15th-year of housing the Redbirds in 2004. This year the Birds will host Florida A&M on November 23, in the first ever meeting between the two schools. The Rattlers finished the 2002-03 season with a 17-12 record.
The Redbirds will also host Western Kentucky and Marshall, two teams that havent played in Normal since the mid 1970s. The Hilltoppers travel to Illinois State on December 16 for the return game. WKU finished the year with a 23-9 record that included a first round loss to Illinois at the NCAA Tournament and a No. 59 RPI ranking.
The non-conference schedule will be difficult, Moser said. All the programs we are playing UIC, Western Kentucky, Utah State and Illinois are at the top of their league. And we will playing them all on the road, which should prepare us for the Valley, a league that a lot of people are saying is even stronger from top to bottom.
Marshall comes to Illinois State on December 6 as a return game from the initial ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday game last season. The Redbirds stunned the Thundering Herd 57-53, for only the second victory by a non-conference opponent in Huntington in the last seven years. Marshall ended the year 13-15.
Along with Marshall, the Redbirds will also host an ESPN Bracket Buster II game on February 21. With an expanded field for this years event, the Redbirds are currently slated for a home game.
Im really excited about getting to host an ESPN Bracket Buster game, Moser said. This is one of the most exciting and creative concepts to come out of college basketball in a while. The players love it and so should the fans. Its a great way to promote our program and to help us schedule home games with teams that normally wouldnt want to come into Redbird Arena.
Illinois State will host Bellarmine, a Division II school located in Louisville, Ky., for its second home game. The Knights ended the year with a 10-19 record. The Knights will be the Birds first Division II opponent since 1999, when Illinois faced Puerto Rico-Mayaquez in the San Juan Shootout.
Season tickets for the upcoming mens basketball season are currently on sale. For more information, please contact the Redbird Arena Ticket Office at 309/438-8000.
