Jan. 24, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
About The Game:
It is another key game for a pair of teams at the bottom of the Valley standings trying to finagle their way out of Thursday night's play-in games. The game also marks the start of the second half of the Valley campaign. The Redbirds will try to avenge an earlier defeat at the hands of Indiana State, which also happens to be the last Sycamore victory. After opening the season 8-0, Indiana State has dropped nine straight, while the `Birds have lost 9 of their last 11.
Series History:
Tonight's game marks the 93rd meeting in the series. The Redbirds carry a 52-40 lead in the series, but Indiana State won the previous meeting this season. The series began during the 1913-14 campaign. Indiana State is looking for its first season sweep of the Redbirds since 2000-01.
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 broadcasts, including Porter Moser's weekly call-in show can be heard via the Internet at GoRedbirds.com.
Television:
None.
The Coaches
Porter Moser (Creighton '90) owns an 88-76 (.537) career mark in his third season at Illinois State, including a 34-42 (.447) 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.
Royce Waltman (Slippery Rock `64) is in his ninth season at Indiana State. He owns a 116-138 (.457) record with the Sycamores and carries a 305-224 (.577) record in his 18 seasons as a head coach. He is assisted by Dick Bender, Matt Mardis and Stan Gouard.
About the Indiana State Sycamores
Indiana State, located in Terre Haute, Ind., was founded in 1865 and has an enrollment of 11,484.
The Sycamores return 10 letterwinners, including three starters, from a team that finished 11-20 overall and tied for ninth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 5-13 mark.
Indiana State has had a season of two halves. The Sycamores started off the campaign with an 8-0 mark, including a win over Indiana, but after losing all-conference player David Moss to injury have dropped nine straight.
Junior guard Eric Gray returned to the Sycamores, after sitting out the fall semester, in the game at Bradley. Gray finished with 10 points in 19 minutes of action.
Freshmen Impact
As each game goes by, Illinois State freshmen Michael Vandello and Brandon Holtz continue to assert themselves a little more. It is evident by comparing their offensive production in league play to the non-conference season. In Valley play, Vandello is fourth on the team with 6.2 points per game, a steady improvement from his 4.6 tallies per contest in non-league games. The same goes for Holtz, who averages 5.3 points per contest, instead of 3.5 points per game.
Home Sweet Home
Illinois State enters today's game with a 7-3 record this season at Redbird Arena. ISU only needs one more home victory to guarantee a winning record for the 16th time in the 18-year history of the facility.
Keeping a Holtz of the Ball
Even while the Redbirds have averaged 16.9 turnovers per Valley game, it's not because of Brandon Holtz. In his first season of collegiate basketball, Holtz has shown value in the possession by only surrendering four turnovers in 139 minutes of conference play or one turnover for every 35 minutes played.
Dilligard Joins the Century Club
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 ISU. In his third season, Dilligard now ranks No. 5 in career blocked shots with 101, becoming only the fifth player in school history to post 100 or more career blocks. He also has 39 blocks on the season, including 15 in the last five games. His season total ranks seventh in ISU history.
Right on Ku
Lately, the Redbirds have been getting an offensive spark from senior Nedu Onyeuku. He is currently second on the team in scoring with 8.4 points per game, including 8.7 in league play. The athletic swingman has six double-digit scoring games on the season, including a pair of back-to-back 14-point efforts.
Dilly Doubles Down
For the second time this season and the third time in his career, junior Greg Dilligard posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Evansville. It marked the 15th time in his career, ninth this season, scoring double-digit points and the sixth time registering 10 or more boards.
189 Games With a Trey on the Board
ISU enters the game against Indiana State with at least one made three in 189 straight games. The last time ISU didn't sink a trey was an 82-43 loss at Creighton on Dec. 12, 1999.
Block Party
The Redbirds are averaging 4.7 blocked shots per game as a team, led by Greg Dilligard's 39 swats. With 80 blocked shots in 17 games, ISU leads the Missouri Valley Conference in blocked shots, while Dilligard ranks second with 2.3 blocks per game. At this pace, the Redbirds would post the second best blocking average in school history, trailing only the 1976-77 team which averaged 4.9 blocks per game.
Gone in 60 Points
It's not the sequel to Nicholas Cage's car thief film, but it has proven to be the recipe for success, or lack there of, for the Redbirds this season. The formula is easy to follow. Opponents score less than 60 points, the Redbirds are 7-2. ISU foes score 60 or more, the `Birds are 0-8. It's that simple.
Walking the Plank
It isn't the sole reason for defeat, but the `Birds appear to go how senior Neil Plank goes. In ISU's seven wins this season, Plank is leading the team with 11.9 points per game, while shooting 49 percent (27-for-55) from the field. In the 10 losses, Plank is averaging 5.4 points per game and shooting 25 percent (19-for-76) from the floor.
ISU Defense Has It's Peaks and Valleys
Since starting league play, the Redbird defense has dipped in terms of field goal percentage defense. In non-league games, Redbird opponents were only shooting 35.6 percent from the floor. However, since starting conference play, ISU has seen its defensive field goal percentage rise to 43.8 percent against Valley foes.
Thirty Something
That's what Illinois State opponents are shooting in Redbird victories - 33.7 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
Sure it's January, but senior Dana Ford has continued his post-holiday shopping and he's finding a number of steals. After 17 games, Ford leads the Redbirds in thefts with 40 and is on pace to finish the season with 71, which would rank first in the Redbirds' top 10 all-time.
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 fewer than 66 points per game. This season, Redbird opponents are averaging 59 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 59 points per game by Illinois State foes would also rank as the lowest in school history.
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.
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.
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
Jan. 25, 1990 - In one of the most memorable victories in ISU history, Sonny Roberts had a missed shot bounce off his head and in for the game-winning basket with five seconds on the clock in ISU's 74-72 win at Bradley. Jarrod Coleman and Randy Blair led the `Birds with 15 points each, while Richard Thomas tossed in 14 tallies and Scott Fowler added 10. Illinois State owns an 8-6 record on this date during the Division I era.
