Florida State owns a 31-5 (.861) mark in home games under head coach Leonard Hamilton.
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 19-11 (.633) record in non-league games.
DUELING WITH HAMILTON
Aaron Burr wasn't even in the building, but luckily for ISU former Redbird Tarise Bryson was. The only time Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton coached against the Redbirds was in 1999 at the San Juan Shootout while coaching at Miami (Fla.). The `Birds defeated Hamilton and the Hurricanes 87-78, thanks to Bryson's eight 3-pointers and 40 points.
THE MINUTEMAN
After averaging nearly 40 minutes a game at Coffeyville Community College, Boo Richardson has drawn comparisons to the Energizer bunny. In the season opener against SMU, Richardson logged a team-high 38 minutes which was the most minutes played by a Redbird newcomer in his debut in the Division I era. Richardson's 38 minutes topped the 37 minutes played by Dan Muller against Iowa State to open the 1994-95 season.
TALLAHASSEE VICE?
He's not Sunny Crockett, but Illinois State's Dom Johnson was bringing down some shots from beyond the arc in the opener at SMU. Johnson showed his range throughout the opening game, including a deep three-pointer to force a tie with 27 seconds remaining. Johnson finished with a game-high 15 points, in which all of his points were a result of three-pointers. Johnson finished the game shooting 5-for-11 on treys.
ROAD WEARY
In order to compete for the Missouri Valley Conference championship, Illinois State will need to win some games away from Redbird Arena - something the Redbirds haven't done in a while. ISU has dropped 17 straight games away from Redbird Arena, with the last victory taking place on Feb. 19, 2005, with a 79-69 win at UW-Green Bay.
201 GAMES WITH A TREY
ISU enters tonight's game against SMU with at least one made three in 201 straight games. The last time ISU didn't sink a trey was an 82-43 loss at Creighton on Dec. 12, 1999.
INSTANT IMPACT
With six newcomers on this year's roster, including four junior college transfers, what was the impact the group had in the season opener against SMU? To start, five of the six played with Bobby Hill being the lone newcomer not to see action. The newcomers accounted for 115 of the total 200 minutes (57.5 percent), 34 of the Redbirds' 55 points (61.8 percent) and 15 of the team's 32 rebounds (46.9 percent).
SLACK ATTACK
Junior college transfer Anthony Slack carried his tenacity from the exhibition campaign into the season opener against SMU. Slack finished one-point shy of posting his first career double-double at Illinois State. The junior collected 12 rebounds, including nine on the defensive glass which is the most by a Redbird newcomer in their first game. He also recorded nine points on 4-for-7 shooting.
DYER MAKER
Despite his 6-foot-11 frame, Levi Dyer's shooting range can make Redbird opponents sad, sad, sad. Dating back to last season, in his last five games, Dyer has shot 17-for-42 on treys, or 40.5 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.
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. In his final season, Dilligard ranks No. 4 in career blocked shots with 126 and is only the fifth player to post 100 or more career blocks as a Redbird. His junior year ended 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 59 of its 88 games (67.0 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.
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
The 60-point plateau continues to be a viable measuring stick for the Redbirds' success. Under head coach Porter Moser, the Redbirds own a 30-15 (.667) record when they score 60 points or more. When ISU scores less than 60, the Redbirds' record falls to 6-36 (.143).
POINT-N-SHOOT
It's not just the points either; shooting percentage is also a key factor for ISU in terms of wins and losses. When ISU shoots better than its opponent, the `Birds are 32-10 (.762) over the last three seasons. When the Redbirds shoot worse, ISU is 4-41 (.089).
JUCO ALL-AMERICA U.
Dominitrix Johnson and Keith "Boo" Richardson became the second and third junior college all-Americans respectively, to sign with ISU 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.
D-FENCE, D-FENCE
With the Redbird defense coming off a school-record 59.1 points per contest last season, ISU is off to a good start this year. After allowing only 57 points to SMU in the opener, the Redbirds are looking to limit their opponents to an averag of 66 points or less for the fourth straight season.
OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER REVISITED
Sure it was an exhibition game and nothing will officially go on record, but the Redbirds scored 83 points. The point total in ISU's 83-58 win over Missouri-St. Louis was higher than any offensive production by the `Birds in the last two seasons. ISU hasn't scored more than 83 points since an 87-53 win over Bellarmine on Dec. 2, 2003.
