The Illinois State men's basketball team hosts Missouri-St. Louis Wednesday night in the Redbirds' only public scrimmage this season. Tip off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
"I'm looking forward to seeing how our guys play and what carries over from practice," head coach Porter Moser said. "I want to see how many of our newcomers block out the distractions and who's focusing on the task at hand. I will also be looking at a lot of alignments and mixing some different guys together. I think our guys are just looking forward to competing against someone different."
Tonight is the first of two exhibitions for UMSL. After facing the Redbirds, the Rivermen will have an intercity battle with Saint Louis on Nov. 3.
200 GAMES WITH A TREY
ISU enters the 2006-07 season with at least one made three in 200 straight games. The last time ISU didn't sink a trey was an 82-43 loss at Creighton on Dec. 12, 1999.
ESTABLISHING A FORTES
It took a little longer than expected, but by the end of last season Roberto Fortes started to showcase his forte -- being able to score. Despite tossing in 22 points in ISU's first 21 games of the season, Fortes finished the year scoring 96 points in the final seven games of the season.
DYER MAKER
Despite his 6-foot-11 frame, Levi Dyer's shooting range can make Redbird opponents sad, sad, sad. Last season, Dyer made five triples in two different games. In the last five games, Dyer finished the season shooting 16-for-39 on treys, or 41 percent.
TAKING THE `NORM' OUT OF NORMAL
After finishing the 2005-06 season with a 9-19 record, the `Birds were in the midst of an aberration. The campaign marked only the sixth losing season in ISU's 35 years of being a Division I program.
ROBERTO DOUBLED OVER
After not reaching double-digit scoring in his first 17 games played as a Redbird, Roberto Fortes sure found his stroke by the end of the season. Fortes finished the year with six straight double-figure scoring games, the longest streak by any ISU player all season.
DILLIGARD JOINS 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. After completing his third season, Dilligard now ranks No. 4 in career blocked shots with 124, becoming only the fifth player to post 100 or more career blocks as a Redbird. He also finished his junior season with 62 blocks, which is second best single-season effort all-time.
THAT 70's SHOW
Under head coach Porter Moser, ISU has limited its foes to 70 points or fewer in 58 of its 87 games (66.7 percent). There is also some significance when the `Birds reach 70 points. When ISU scores 70 or more, the `Birds are 20-4 under Moser.
NO PERFECT 10's
Greg Dilligard's season scoring average finished at 9.9 points per game. The scoring average was No. 1 on the team, but by falling below 10 points per game it marked the first time since becoming a Division I program that ISU's leading scorer averaged less than double figures for a season.
MAKING THE GRADE
The Illinois State men's basketball team set a record GPA during the Fall 2005 semester by posting a collective 2.81 GPA, topping the old mark of 2.75. The athletic department as a whole also netted a new standard during the Spring 2006 semester with a 2.99 GPA.
GONE IN 60 POINTS
It wasn't the sequel to Nicholas Cage's car thief film, but it did prove to be the recipe for success, or lack there of, for the Redbirds last season. The formula was easy to follow. When opponents scored less than 60 points, the Redbirds were 9-6. When ISU foes scored 60 or more, the `Birds were 0-13. It was that simple.
POINT-N-SHOOT
It wasn't just the points either; shooting percentage was also a deciding factor for ISU in terms of wins and losses last season. When ISU shot better than its opponent, the `Birds were 9-3. But, when they were out shot, the Redbirds were 0-15.
D-FENCE, D-FENCE
In 2005-06, ISU opponents averaged 59.1 points per contest. Because of that defensive effort, it marked the first time ISU opponents had been held below 66 points per game for three straight seasons since the 1985-86, 1984-85 and 1983-84 campaigns. Also, the 59.1 points allowed ranks as the lowest in school history, topping the record of 60.2 points per game set in both the 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons.
ANOTHER DEFENSIVE STANDARD
In addition to claiming the school record for fewest points allowed per game in a season, the Redbirds were also in the running for best defensive field goal percentage in ISU history. The Redbirds finished the season allowing their opponents 40.3 percent shooting, which was just a tenth of a percentage point behind the school record of 40.2 percent, set during the 1996-97 season.
PUTTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER
Keith "Boo" Richardson and Anthony Slack were teammates at Coffeyville Community College the last two seasons. With both joining the Redbird roster this year, they become the first set of junior college teammates to play at Illinois State since Steve Finch and the late Reggie Wilson. Both Finch and Wilson played at Lincoln Junior College prior to playing for the Redbirds during the 1991-92 season.
JUCO ALL-AMERICA U.
Dominitrix Johnson and Keith "Boo" Richardson became the second and third junior college all-Americans respectively, to sign with Illinois State since Porter Moser's arrival. Richardson claimed first-team honors, while Johnson was a third team selection. The duo joins Lorenzo Gordon, who went on to earn Valley Newcomer of the Year honors in 2005.
ALTERING THE CURVE
In 2006-07, the ISU basketball team finds itself in the Valley minority. The Redbirds return 20 percent of their starting five, while the league, which boasted a No. 6 conference RPI, returns 75 percent of its starters.
THE FAB FIVE
ISU's 2006 recruiting class of Osiris Eldridge, Bobby Hill, Dominitrix Johnson, Keith "Boo" Richardson and Anthony Slack is the most highly-touted recruiting class in Redbird history. Eldridge was tabbed by Scout.com as the Valley's top incoming freshman, while Hill was No. 4. Both are all-state players, while Johnson and Richardson each earned junior college all-America honors and Slack was one of the top scorers and rebounders at the NJCAA Tournament in 2006.
