Dec. 9, 2005
NORMAL, Ill. -
Game Notes
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About The Game:
This is the fifth and final game of Illinois State's five-game homestand. The Redbirds have allowed 46.8 points per game at home this season. Georgia Southern is coming off a fourth-place finish in the Price Cutter Classic in Springfield, Mo., and is looking for its first road win of the season to counter three defeats.
Series History:
Tonight's game marks the third meeting in the series. In the first two meetings, each team claimed victory on its home floor. On Dec. 28, 2000, Illinois State earned a 89-60 win at Redbird Arena, only to fall 87-76 the following season in Statesboro, Ga.
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 86-67 (.562) career mark in his third season at Illinois State, including a 32-33 (.492) 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.
Jeff Price (Pikeville College `81) is in his seventh season at Georgia Southern. He owns a 106-77 (.579) record with the Eagles, his first head coaching position. He is assisted by Carl Nash, Chad Dollar and Tom Spencer.
About the Georgia Southern Eagles
Georgia Southern, located in Statesboro, Ga., was founded in 1906 and has an enrollment of 16,100 students.
The Eagles are members of the Southern Conference and play their home games at Hanner Fieldhouse (4,358).
Georgia Southern returns eight letterwinners, including three starters, from a team that finished 18-13 overall and tied for second in the league with a 10-6 mark.
Elton Nesbitt is averaging nearly 20 points per game carrying a scoring average of 19.4. He is also the most active 3-point shooter on the squad with 76 three-point attempts, which is more than the rest of the team combined.
The Eagles have eight players that are averaging 10 or more minutes per game.
Hoosier Daddy
When it comes to the Redbird Arena low for points scored, Illinois State just swapped Hoosiers on Tuesday. The Redbirds limited IPFW to an arena low 36 points, topping the old mark of 37 set by Indiana State on Feb. 14, 2004. The Mastodons also matched an arena low with 14 field goals, tying Missouri State's effort on Jan. 18, 2004.
The Flaw of Averages
The Redbird defense is taking its toll on opponent scoring averages. Throwing out the Indianapolis game, since it was the season opener for both teams, Illinois State has kept its last four home opponents well below their season scoring average. In fact, three of the four have been stifled for 25 points or more below their season average.
Team Avg. Actual Diff.
W. Mich. 72.5 47 -25.5
Grambling 82.5 50 -32.5
UWGB 60.2 51 -9.2
IPFW 68.7 36 -32.7
Vianney's VNE is Vast
An aircraft's VNE is the velocity that should never be exceeded, even though ISU's Eric Vianney is coming off his best performance to date it was just a fraction of his full potential. Vianney doubled his playing time with eight minutes of action against IPFW. The freshman showcased his outside touch with a 3-for-3 effort on treys, for a career-high nine points, and also added three rebounds.
Vandello Industries
For Seinfeld fans, Illinois State freshman Michael Vandello has shown a glimpse of his import-export business and his all-around game early in the season. Vandello has started the last five games and ranks fifth on the team in points (5.0), fourth in rebounding (3.7), fourth in assists (11) and third in steals (5).
Thirty Something
That's what Illinois State opponents are shooting in Redbird victories - 31.9 percent to be exact. In fact, in the 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.
Some Holiday Steals
Senior Dana Ford has started his holiday shopping early this season and he's finding a number of steals -- 13 to be exact. After six 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.
House Arrest
In the five home games this season, Redbird opponents have not scored more than 51 points. In fact, at Redbird Arena this season, ISU foes are averaging 46.8 points per contest, while shooting 31.9 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 four of ISU's six games and has scored in double digits in five contests. The senior leads the Redbirds with 11.7 points per game and in assists with 25 on the season.
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 complete seasons, opponents have averaged under 66 points per game. This season, Redbird opponents are averaging 51.7 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 51.7 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. 6 in career blocked shots with 75. He is also on pace to crack the top 10 in career steals as the team's returning leader with 63 career steals.
'Tis the Season
With the holiday's right around the corner, the Redbirds have been getting into the mood of giving. Against IPFW, the `Birds dished out a season high 19 assists on 22 made field goals (86.4 percent). On the season, 73.2 percent of ISU's made field goals were the result of a great pass, which would be the best percentage in the Division I era.
Season-best Bench Mark
Illinois State's 27 bench points on Tuesday night against IPFW was the highest bench scoring total of the season. In the last two games, the Redbird bench has outscored the opponent 49-14.
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 a 19-7 (.731) 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.
178 Games With a Trey on the Board
ISU enters the game against Georgia Southern with at least one made three in 178 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. 10, 1975 - Jeff Wilkins records his second double-double of the season with 21 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Redbirds to an 81-75 victory at Butler. The Redbirds used a 13-2 run early in the second half, including six points by Randy Henry, to put away the Bulldogs. Henry finished with a team-high 23 points, while Roger Powell added 15 tallies and Billy Lewis chipped in 10. Illinois State owns a 4-2 record on this date in the Division I era.
