Nathan Peavy is one of three RedHawk players averaging double-digit points. Peavy is posting 16.4 points per game, while also leading Miami with 7.3 rebounds per contest.
MANY HAPPY RETURNS
The Redbirds boast a perfect 3-0 mark in the return games that were created as a result of the ESPN's BracketBusters. Tonight ISU will face Miami (Ohio), the Redbirds' BracketBusters opponent from last season.
ALTHOUGH THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS FRIGHTFUL ...
The Redbirds' offensive firepower is so delightful. With back-to-back 86-point games, the Redbirds have not scored in the 80's in successive games since December 2003. The last time the Redbirds scored 86 points or more in back-to-back games was December of 2000 against Western Illinois and Georgia Southern.
IT IS BETTER TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE
It is the holiday season and the Redbirds are in a giving mood as of late. In the last two games, ISU has dished out 51 assists, including 26 assists in the 86-69 win over Sacramento State. The Redbirds' assist total against the Hornets ranked as the highest single-game total in the Porter Moser era at Illinois State and was the most since the `Birds handed out 31 assists on Feb. 28, 1998 in the quarterfinal of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament against Southern Illinois.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Both Greg Dilligard and Anthony Slack notched double-double efforts for the Redbirds against Sacramento State. It marked the first time a pair of Redbirds posted double-doubles in the same game since Feb. 15, 1998, when Dan Muller and Rico Hill each collected a double-double against Missouri State.
DILLY DOUBLES DOWN, AGAIN
For the first time in his college career, senior Greg Dilligard posted back-to-back double-double performances. Dilligard notched 17 points and 11 rebounds at St. John's and followed that effort up with an 11-point, 10-board game against Sacramento State. Dilligard now has five double-doubles in his career.
THREE-BALLIN'
Through seven games, 41.5 percent of ISU's field goal attempts have come from beyond the 3-point arc. The `Birds are averaging 23.1 three-point tries per game and have almost made as many (59) as their opponents have shot (93). Against Texas-Arlington on Dec. 2, the Redbirds set a Redbird Arena record with 14 made treys, which was also the second most in ISU history.
SLACK ATTACK
Junior Anthony Slack is attacking the glass for the Redbirds. In his first seven games, Slack is averaging 7.4 rebounds per game which is the most by a `Bird since Rico Hill pulled down 8.2 boards per game during the 1996-97 season.
AN INSIDE PRESENCE
Against Sacramento State, the Redbirds dominated the post play as the team scored 50 of their 86 points in the paint. Forwards Greg Dilligard and Anthony Slack combined to score 32 points, grab 20 rebounds and shoot 14-for-16 (.875) from the field.
DYER MAKER
Despite his 6-foot-11 frame, Levi Dyer's shooting range can make Redbird opponents sad, sad, sad. Dyer tied a career best with 17 points against UT-Arlington on Saturday. On the season, Dyer is shooting 5-for-12 (.417) on threes.
GIMMIE FIVE
For the second straight game, the Redbirds have had five players score in double figures. ISU hasn't had that happen since the `Birds had five players score 10 or more on Nov. 29, 2003 at Utah State, and then repeated the effort on Dec. 2 against Bellarmine.
THE STREAK
ISU enters tonight's game looking for its sixth straight victory, the longest winning streak in the Porter Moser era at Illinois State. In fact, the Redbirds have not won six straight games since the 2000-01 season.
DISHING THE ROCK
Junior point guard Boo Richardson enters tonight's game averaging 6.0 assists per game this season, which is the highest average by a Redbird since Jamar Smiley dropped 6.4 assists per game during the 1997-98 season. Richardson has 42 assists on the season and is on pace to finish the regular season with 180, which would rank No. 8 all-time.
A NEW BENCHMARK
In the last two games, the Illinois State bench has scored 50 points, which is almost as much as it scored in the Redbirds first five games of the season (58). The `Birds have also had three bench players score double figures in the last two games with Brandon Holtz tossing in 10 against Sacramento State and Levi Dyer and Osiris Eldridge scoring 17 and 14, respectively, against UT-Arlington.
FOUR SCORE AND FIVE YEARS AGO?
Illinois State currently has four players averaging double-digit points on the season, including Boo Richardson (13.4), Dom Johnson (12.7), Anthony Slack (11.0) and Greg Dilligard (10.3). The last time ISU had four players average double digits was five years ago during the 2001-02 season. Last season, the Redbirds didn't have a single player average 10 or more points per contest.
20/20
When Boo Richardson and Greg Dilligard each scored over 20 points in the game against McNeese State, it marked the first time since Nov. 27, 2004, where two Redbirds reached the 20-point plateau. Richardson finished with a career-high 23 points, while Dilligard was two off his career best with 20 tallies. The Redbird duo became the first to achieve the feat since Trey Guidry (27 pts.) and Lorenzo Gordon (23 pts.) did against Tennessee-Martin.
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.
THIRTY SOMETHING
Junior guard Dom Johnson became the first Redbird to score 30 or more points in a game since Trey Guidry tossed in 30 at Creighton on Jan. 22, 2005. Johnson torched Florida State for 32 points on 12-for-23 shooting. It was the most points by a Redbird since Tarise Bryson scored 38 in the 2001 National Invitational Tournament game at Purdue.
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 tied for No. 2 in career blocked shots with 136 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.
MATCHBOX 20
If the Illinois State box scores from the 2005-06 season were compared to the box scores from this season - one thing in particular jumps out. In 28 games last season, the Redbirds had a 20-point scorer three times. Greg Dilligard did it once and Roberto Fortes reached 20 points twice. This season, in the first three games, the Redbirds equaled that performance. Dom Johnson, Boo Richardson and Dilligard have all netted 20 points or more this season.
THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS
In the first seven games, the Redbird starting line-up has been Anthony Slack (New Orleans, La.), Greg Dilligard (Labelle, Mo.), Roberto Fortes (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Boo Richardson (Kansas City, Mo.) and Dom Johnson (Bell City, Mo.) - five players from outside the state of Illinois. The last time Illinois State started five players who weren't from the state of Illinois was 1997, when the `Birds started Skipp Schaefbauer (Minn.), Dan Muller (Ind.), Rob Gibbons (N.J.), Steve Hansell (United Kingdom) and Jamar Smiley (N.Y.) on Dec. 13, at Creighton.
207 GAMES WITH A TREY
ISU enters tonight's game against Miami (Ohio) with at least one made three in 207 straight games. The last time ISU didn't sink a trey was an 82-43 loss at Creighton on Dec. 12, 1999.
THAT 70's SHOW
Under Porter Moser, ISU has limited its foes to 70 points or fewer in 64 of its 94 games (68.1 percent). There is also some significance when the `Birds reach 70 points. When ISU scores 70 or more, the `Birds are 23-4 (.852) under Moser.
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 fourth-year head coach boasts a 24-12 (.667) record in non-league games.
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 35-15 (.700) record when they score 60 points or more. When ISU scores less than 60, the Redbirds' record falls to 6-37 (.140).
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 36-10 (.783) over the last four seasons. When the Redbirds shoot worse, ISU is 5-42 (.106).
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 athletics department as a whole also netted a new standard during the Spring 2006 semester with a 2.99 GPA.
INSTANT IMPACT
Through seven games, the six Redbird newcomers have made immediate impacts. The newest Redbirds have accounted for 59.6 percent of ISU's scoring, 45.5 percent of the rebounding and 62.5 percent of the assists this season.
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.
RUBIN SIGNS
During the early signing period, head coach Porter Moser added his first to the 2007-08 recruiting class. Point guard Alex Rubin from Armstrong High School in Plymouth, Minn., signed his national letter of intent to continue his education and basketball career at ISU. At 6-foot-1, 185-pounds, Rubin led the Falcons to a 19-10 overall record, before falling in the sectional finals. A two-time all-Classic Lake Conference selection, Rubin averaged 14.5 points and 4.8 assists per game as a junior. In 2006, he was named to the all-metro defensive second team and was an honorable mention all-state selection.
