Dec. 6, 2005
NORMAL, Ill. -
Game Notes
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About The Game:
This is the fourth of five straight home games for Illinois State. The Redbirds enter the contest as winners in their last three games and own a 4-0 mark in Redbird Arena this season. IPFW snapped a three-game losing skid with an 80-52 victory against Marygrove on Saturday. Tonight's game features two of the youngest head coaches in Division I basketball. IPFW's Dane Fife is the youngest head coach, while ISU's Porter Moser ranks as the 27th youngest nationally.
Series History:
Tonight's game marks the first meeting in the series.
Radio:
Dick Luedke, play-by-play; Mike Matthews, color; Bruce Evans, sideline (home only) and Jim Williams, studio host. Affiliates: WJBC (AM 1230/Bloomington), flagship; WBIG (AM 1280/Aurora), WJEZ (FM 98.9/Dwight), WZOE (AM 1490/Princeton) and WFMB (AM 1450/Springfield). All Redbird broadcasts, including Porter Moser's weekly call-in show, which generally airs each Thursday from 6:07-7 pm, depending on the schedule, can be heard via the Internet at GoRedbirds.com.
Television:
The game is available on Redbird All-Access at GoRedbirds.com.
The Coaches:
Porter Moser (Creighton '90) owns an 85-67 (.559) career mark in his third season at Illinois State, including a 31-33 (.484) record with the Redbirds. Prior to guiding the `Birds, Moser served three seasons at Arkansas-Little Rock in his first head coaching position. Moser is assisted by Chris Jans, Daniyal Robinson and Brian Barone.
Dane Fife (Indiana `02) is in his first season at IPFW. He owns a 2-4 (.333) record with the Mastodons, his first head coaching position. He is assisted by Jeff Tungate, Tony Jasick and Jermaine Kimbrough.
About the IPFW Mastodons
IPFW, located in Fort Wayne, Ind., was founded in 1964 and has an enrollment of 11,757 students.
The Mastodons are independent and play their home games at Memorial Coliseum (11,500).
IPFW returns two letterwinners, both starters, from a team that finished 7-22 overall.
DeWitt Scott leads three IPFW players averaging double figures on the season. Scott is the team's leading scorer with 15.8 points per game.
The Mastodons have eight players that are averaging 10 or more minutes per game.
Right on Ku
Senior Nedu Onyeuku has really stepped up his play this season. Against UW-Green Bay, Onyeuku was called upon in the first half when Dana Ford picked up two quick fouls and the Omaha, Neb., native responded. Onyeuku scored a season best 11 points, only his fourth double digit scoring game of his career. He is also shooting an impressive 63.2 percent from the field on the season, while ranking fourth on the team with 6.6 points per game.
4-1 Starts
Illinois State finds itself off to another 4-1 start. It marks the second straight season, where the `Birds have stormed out of the gate by claiming four of their first five games. ISU hasn't had back-to-back 4-1 starts since the 1983-84 and 1984-85 seasons, both of those teams went on to participate in the NCAA Tournament.
Thirty Something
That's what Illinois State opponents are shooting in Redbird victories - 32 percent to be exact. In fact, in Saturday's win over UW-Green Bay, the `Birds put a clamp on the Phoenix by limiting them to 29 percent shooting from the field. The effort was the Redbirds' best since holding Tennessee-Martin to 28.8 percent shooting last season, which was coincidentally also the fifth game of the season.
Some Holiday Steals
Senior Dana Ford has started his holiday shopping early this season and he's finding a number of steals -- 11 to be exact. After five games, Ford leads the Redbirds in thefts and is on pace to finish the season with 66, which would top the school record established by Todd Starks during the 1986-87 season by five steals.
Dilly Continues to Raise the Bar
Greg Dilligard has been asked to increase his scoring output this season and the junior has responded. In his last two outings Dilligard has poured in double digit points including a career best 18 points against Grambling State. He now has nine double-digit scoring games in his career and three on the season.
Doubling Over
In the last two games, the Redbirds had three players score double figures in a single game for the first time this season. On the season, the `Birds still only have two players averaging double digit points in Neil Plank (12.0 ppg.) and Greg Dilligard (11.6 ppg.).
Turning Over a New 'Lif
Sophomore Khalif Ford has taken over the controls of the Redbird offense. The point guard has led the Redbirds to a 4-1 start, while sharing the team lead in assists with 18.
House Arrest
In the four home games this season, Redbird opponents have not scored more than 51 points. In fact, at Redbird Arena this season, ISU foes are averaging 49.5 points per contest, while shooting 32 percent from the field.
Plank's Constant
Quantum physics aren't needed to see that senior Neil Plank is asserting himself as the Redbirds' offensive leader. Plank has led the Redbirds in scoring in three of ISU's five games and has scored in double digits in four contests. The senior leads the Redbirds with 12.0 points per game and is tied for the team lead in assists with 18.
D-Fence, D-Fence
Since Porter Moser's arrival at Illinois State he has emphasized team defense and it's starting to show. In the last two seasons, opponents have averaged under 66 points per game. This season, Redbird opponents are averaging 54.8 points per contest. If the Redbirds can maintain this effort, it would mark the first time this feat has occurred three straight seasons since the 1985-86, 1984-85 and 1983-84 campaigns. The 54.8 points per game by Illinois State foes would also rank as the lowest in school history.
Dilly Gets Defensive
When it is all said and done Greg Dilligard will go down in history as one of the best defensive players to suit up for the Redbirds. In his third season, Dilligard ranks No. 7 in career blocked shots with 73. He is also on pace to crack the top 10 in career steals as the team's returning leader with 61 career steals. Dilligard has showcased his defensive skills in the last two games by posting three blocked shots in each contest.
Dyer Maker
Despite his 6-foot-11 frame, ISU's Levi Dyer continues to show his shooting range. On the season, Dyer has converted 42.9 percent of his 3-point field goal attempts (6-of-14), but is 0-for-6 on the year on two-point shots.
Carrying the Valley Flag
In Porter Moser's tenure at Illinois State, the Redbirds have carried the Valley flag well in non-conference match-ups. To date, ISU's three-year head coach boasts an 18-7 (.720) record in non-league games.
So This Is What a Full Roster Looks Like?
For the first time in Porter Moser's tenure, the Redbirds will field a team with all 13 scholarships occupied. After signing Osiris Eldridge and Bobby Hill during the early signing period, the Redbirds have one scholarship available for next season.
We Have Another Winner
With 17 wins during the 2004-05 season, the Redbirds enjoyed their 30th winning season in 35 years of being a Division I program. The 17 victories was the most by ISU since the 2001-02 season.
Out of Africa ...
And into Redbird Arena for four Redbirds this season. Freshmen Dinma Odiakosa and Eric Vianney are from the continent, with Odiakosa coming from Nigeria and Vianney being from Cameroon. In addition, senior Nedu Onyeuku and junior Roberto Fortes were each born in Africa before their families moved to the United States. Onyeuku was born in Nigeria, while Fortes was born in Angola.
177 Games With a Trey on the Board
ISU enters the game against IPFW with at least one made three in 177 straight games. The last time ISU didn't sink a trey was an 82-43 loss at Creighton on Dec. 12, 1999.
Prized Pupil Plank
Neil Plank was named to the 2005 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America® University Division Men's Basketball Second Team and was honored as the 2005 Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The two-time All-District V Academic selection was also a 2005 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete First Team selection. He carried a 4.0 grade point average as an undergraduate finance major and is currently pursuing his master's in business administration.
This Date in Redbird History
Dec. 6, 1972 - Illinois State used a 12-2 run to end the second half and preserve an 81-67 win at Arkansas. Redbird great Doug Collins scored 15 of his team-high 21 points in the first half to lead the `Birds. Illinois State owns a 9-3 record on this date in the Division I era.
