The Bulldogs lead the conference in offensive rebounding by nearly four offensive caroms per game. Drake is posting 15.38 offensive boards per contest this season.
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE
Entering Tuesday night's game at Redbird Arena, Northern Iowa was the last of the unbeatens in Missouri Valley Conference play. However, a 67-64 overtime victory by the Redbirds changed everything and knocked the Panthers into a three-way tie for first with Creighton, Missouri State and Indiana State.
DYERMAKER
Since entering the starting lineup five games ago, junior Levi Dyer has been making the most of his opportunities. During the five-game span, Dyer has posted double-figure scoring in each outing, including a career-best 20 points against Northern Iowa. He is also averaging 12.8 points per game, while shooting 10-for-25 (40 percent) on threes.
THE CENTURY CLUB
Head coach Porter Moser enters today's game against Drake sitting on 99 career coaching wins. A Redbird victory today would give Moser 100 victories in his career against 92 losses. The seventh-year head coach has collected 45 wins at Illinois State and 54 at Arkansas-Little Rock.
DILLY FOR THE BLOCK
With three more blocked shots, senior Greg Dilligard will become Illinois State's career leader in blocked shots. He enters today's game with 141 career swats and is only the fifth player in Redbird history to post 100 or more blocked shots in a career. He currently has 17 blocks on the season.
A POWER BOOSTER
Illinois State entered Tuesday night's game against Northern Iowa with a 128 Rating Power Index (RPI), according to RPIRatings.com. After the 67-64 overtime win over the conference leader, ISU's RPI improved to 99.
FRESHMAN PHENOM
Not only did freshman Osiris Eldridge tie the school record at Creighton for made three pointers with eight, but he also poured in a career-high 28 points in the process. His 28 tallies marked the third highest single-game point total by a Redbird freshman in school history. By doing so, he joined a pretty elite group of ISU scorers - Bubbles Hawkins (30 points at Jacksonville, 2-16-73), Roger Powell (30 points vs. Morehead State, 1-8-73), Billy Lewis (28 points at West Virginia, 3-1-75) and Tarise Bryson (28 points vs. Southern Mississippi, 11-28-98 and vs. Wisconsin, 12-5-98).
OZONE
His college career started slowly, Osiris Eldridge began shooting 1-for-22 from the field. However, since then Eldridge has been in the zone. Eldridge is shooting 47.5 percent, or 48-for-101, since his first 22 collegiate shots. He also started his career with a 1-for-13 effort on three-pointers, but since has been shooting 47.2 percent (25-for-53).
CHAIRMAN OF THE OFFENSIVE BOARDS
Offensive rebounds have only been an official stat for a little more than 15 years, but during that time no one at Illinois State has been better at hitting the offensive glass than Greg Dilligard. During his career, Dilligard has registered 225 offensive caroms and is only the fourth player at ISU to collect 200 or more offensive boards. Dilligard is joined by Rico Hill (211), Dan Muller (205) and LeRoy Watkins (205).
DYER FOR TWO?
Junior center Levi Dyer has been working hard on his post play and it shows. Entering this season, Dyer had made 14 two-point baskets in his Redbird career. Already this season, Dyer has made 25 baskets inside the arc. He has also continued to shoot from three and ranks tied for third on the team with 17 made three-pointers.
MINUTES ARE UPHILL
Freshman Bobby Hill logged 26 combined minutes over the first 14 games of the season. However in the last two contests, Hill has proven to be a defensive spark and doubled his playing time with a total of 28 minutes. Hill has been instrumental in holding opponents to 36.6 percent shooting in the last two games, including 29.3 percent on threes.
THE MINUTEMEN
Both Dom Johnson and Boo Richardson enter today's game averaging 34 minutes per game and rank second and third, respectively, among the conference leaders in minutes played. Only Indiana State's Gabe Moore has played more minutes per game than this Redbird duo. Johnson has totaled 545 minutes on the year, while Richardson has played 543.
KEPT OFFLINE
The Redbirds have the fewest free throw attempts in the Valley this season. ISU has only attempted 262 free throws on the year and is averaging 16.3 charity tosses per game.
216 GAMES WITH A TREY
ISU enters today's game at Drake with at least one made three in 216 straight games. The last time ISU didn't sink a trey was an 82-43 loss at Creighton on Dec. 12, 1999.
BOO'S CLUES
Chances are if you want to see how the Redbirds did, just look at Boo Richardson's stat line. In the nine wins, Richardson is averaging a team-high 14.3 points per game, while dishing out 60 assists or 6.7 per game. He is also shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 41.7 percent on threes. In the seven losses, Richardson is averaging 4.3 points per game, 4.9 assists per contest, shooting 12.7 percent and eight percent on threes.
DILLY DOUBLES DOWN, AGAIN
Senior Greg Dilligard entered the season with three career double-doubles. Through 16 games, Dilligard already has three this season. Dilligard has posted double-digit points and rebounds against St. John's, Sacramento State and Miami (Ohio) this year.
THREE-BALLIN'
Through 16 games, 42.1 percent of ISU's field goal attempts have come from beyond the 3-point arc. The `Birds are averaging 23.6 three-point tries per game. 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. The Redbirds are on pace to shoot 732 threes on the season, which would top the school record of 615 set in 1995-96. ISU is also on pace to finish the season with 242 made treys, which would claim the school standard and top the current mark of 220 set during the 1997-98 season.
DISHING THE ROCK
Junior point guard Boo Richardson enters tonight's game averaging 5.9 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 94 assists on the season and is on pace to finish the regular season with 183, which would be No. 8 all-time.
BOARDING CALL
For the first time since 1986-87 season, the Redbirds have two players averaging six rebounds or more per game on the season. Both Anthony Slack (6.5 rpg.) and Greg Dilligard (6.2 rpg.) are among the conference leaders in rebounding, becoming the first Redbird tandem since Derrick Sanders (8.1 rpg.) and Tony Holifield (6.0) to achieve that feat.
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.
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.
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 39-16 (.709) record when they score 60 points or more. When ISU scores less than 60, the Redbirds' record falls to 6-41 (.128).
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, the Redbirds have had players score 20 or more points in a game eight times. Boo Richardson and Anthony Slack have each done it twice, while Dilligard, Dom Johnson, Osiris Eldridge and Levi Dyer have all accomplished it once.
THAT 70's SHOW
Under Porter Moser, ISU has limited its foes to 70 points or fewer in 72 of its 103 games (69.9 percent). There is also some significance when the `Birds reach 70 points. When ISU scores 70 or more, the `Birds are 25-5 (.833) under Moser.
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 40-11 (.784) over the last four seasons. When the Redbirds shoot worse, ISU is 5-46 (.098).
INSTANT IMPACT
Through 16 games, the six Redbird newcomers have made immediate impacts. The newest Redbirds have accounted for 62 percent of ISU's scoring, 46.3 percent of the rebounding and 68.3 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.
SEAD ADDED
Sead Odzic (SEE-add ODD-zik) transferred to Illinois State from Southern California following the fall semester. Odzic, a 6-foot-3, 192-pound guard, is a native of Skokie, Ill., and played prep basketball at Niles West. He will have to serve a year of residency and will not be eligible to compete in a game for the Redbirds until the completion of the Fall 2007 semester. At USC last season, Odzic averaged 3.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. Prior to USC, Ozdic averaged 20 points, five rebounds and four assists during his senior season at Niles West.
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. To date this season, Rubin is averaging 19.5 points per contest through the first six games, while Armstrong owns an 9-3 record.
