Feb. 10, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
About The Game:
Another Illinois State loss or a Bradley win secures the Redbirds' fate of playing on Thursday night in one of the two play-in games, so today's match-up is criticial. The `Birds are still reeling from the 29-point loss in Peoria just 10 days ago, while the Braves have gone on to drop 16 of their last 17 Missouri Valley Conference road games with a 75-63 setback at Indiana State on Wednesday.
Series History:
Today's game marks the 102nd meeting in the storied Interstate-74 rivalry. Bradley owns a 56-45 lead in the series and has won five of the last seven games.
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:
WMBD-TV (CBS 31) will televise tonight's game. Kurt Pegler will provide the play-by-play, while Todd Kagel will serve as the analyst.
The Coaches
Porter Moser (Creighton '90) owns an 89-80 (.527) career mark in his third season at Illinois State, including a 35-46 (.432) 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.
Jim Les (Bradley `86) is in his fourth season at his alma mater. He owns a 53-58 (.477) record with the Braves, his only head coaching position. He is assisted by Chuck Buescher, Illinois State alumnus Eric Buescher and Lennox Forrester.
About the Bradley Braves
Bradley, located in Peoria, Ill., was founded in 1897 and has an enrollment of 6,069.
The Braves return nine letterwinners, including all five starters, from a team that finished 13-15 overall and finished eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 6-12 mark.
With the 75-63 loss at Indiana State on Wednesday, the Braves have dropped 16 of their last 17 conference road games.
Bradley currently owns a 3-8 road record this season and has not won four road games in a campaign since 1997-98.
Sophomore Daniel Ruffin currently owns the conference's longest active consecutive free throw streak with 21 straight.
Lordy, Lordy Look Who's Scoring 40
With Illinois State's 41 points at Drake, the lowest offensive effort on the season, it marked the sixth time this season that the Redbirds have scored just 40-some points in a game. The Redbirds have not had a season where they scored 49 or fewer points in five games since the 1946-47 season.
The Redbird Shuffle
At the start of Tuesday's game at Drake, the `Birds courted their ninth different starting line-up this season. The total doubles that of last season, in which the `Birds had four different starting combinations. Of the 14 players on the roster, 10 have earned starting assignments and no combination has been used for more than seven games.
Home Sweet Home
ISU enters today's game with an 8-4 record at Redbird Arena, a winning record at home for the 16th time in the 18-year history of the facility. Wins in the final three home games, including tonight's contest against Bradley, would mark the best record since 2001-02 when the `Birds were 11-2 at the arena.
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. 4 in career blocked shots with 106, becoming only the fifth player to post 100 or more career blocks as a Redbird. He also has 44 blocks for the year, which is tied for sixth.
ISU Defense HaS It's Peaks and Valleys
After holding its non-conference foes to 35.6 percent shooting, Illinois State opened league play without the same defensive intensity. In the first six Valley games, Redbird opponents shot 46.7 percent from the field, but in the next four games the `Birds got back to the basics by limiting their opponents to 37.9 percent from the floor. However during the three-game losing streak, ISU foes combined to shoot 45.5 percent.
Dilly's Holding On
With his first double-digit scoring game in the last six outings, Greg Dilligard's season scoring average rests at 10.0 points per game. The scoring average, which ranks No. 1 on the team, is almost four points more than he averaged last season, but ISU has never had its leading scorer average less than double figures for a season since becoming a Division I program in 1970-71.
194 Games With a Trey on the Board
ISU enters the game against Bradley with at least one made three in 194 straight games. The last time ISU didn't sink a trey was an 82-43 loss at Creighton on Dec. 12, 1999.
Keeping a Holtz of the Ball
Even while the Redbirds have averaged 16.6 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 six turnovers in 231 minutes of conference play or one turnover for every 38.5 minutes played.
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 8-4. ISU foes score 60 or more, the `Birds are 0-10. It's that simple.
Point-N-Shoot
It's not just points either, shooting percentage has been a deciding factor for the Redbirds in terms of wins and losses. When ISU shoots better than its opponent, the `Birds are 8-2. But, when they are outshot, the Redbirds are 0-12.
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 eight wins this season, Plank is leading the team with 12.3 points per game, while shooting 50.8 percent from the field. In the 14 losses, Plank is averaging 5.2 points per game and shooting 28.4 percent from the floor.
This Ford's A Steal
Just by looking at the sticker price, senior Dana Ford has been a steal. He entered his senior campaign averaging just 11 minutes per game in his first three seasons, but now he's on the verge of coming close to the ISU single season steals record. Ford leads the `Birds in thefts with 45 and is on pace to finish the season with 59.
D-Fence, D-Fence
This season ISU opponents are averaging 58.5 points per contest. If the Redbirds can maintain this effort, it would mark the first time that foes have been held below 66 points per game for three straight seasons since the 1985-86, 1984-85 and 1983-84 campaigns. Also, the 58.5 points allowed ranks as the lowest in school history.
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 with a 2.93 GPA, while having a record 201 student-athletes named to the AFNI athletic honor roll.
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 added another academic honor on Feb. 9, when he was named to the 2006 ESPN the Magazine All-America® University District V Academic team. It marked the third time that Plank had been named to the district team, he claimed second team academic all-America honors in 2005 as well as being named the 2005 Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He carried a 3.93 grade point average as an undergraduate finance major and is currently pursuing his master's in business administration.
This Date in Redbird History
Feb. 11, 1994 - Illinois State had four players in double figures led by Todd Wemhoener's 12 points as the Redbirds downed Tulsa 61-56 at Redbird Arena. ISU overcame 24 points by the Golden Hurricane's Gary Collier. The `Birds took control of the game on Mike VandeGarde's traditional three-point play at the 14:45 mark of the first half for a 10-7 lead. Illinois State owns a 4-3 record on this date during the Division I era.
