Illinois State Game Notes in PDF Format 
Nov. 22, 2007
STORYLINES
► Friday's non-conference game marks the fourth all-time meeting between Illinois State and Indiana. Dating back to the 1983 season, the Hoosiers hold a 3-0 advantage in the all-time series.
► Friday's game against Indiana marks the first time Illinois State has squared off against a nationally-ranked opponent since the 2003-04 season, when the Redbirds played three contests against teams ranked in the top-25 (Creighton twice and No. 19 Illinois).
► Illinois State has recorded three all-time wins over top-10 opponents. The Redbirds' last victory over a top-10 foe came in the 1983-84 campaign, when ISU defeated No. 9 Tulsa, 91-81, at Horton Field House. The 1983-84 Redbirds went 23-8 (13-3 MVC), won the regular season Valley championship, and advanced to second-round of the NCAA Tournament.
► The Redbirds will be seeking their 50th regular-season tournament win against Indiana. ISU improved to 49-35 all-time in regular season tournaments after defeating UNC-Wilmington Sunday at Redbird Arena.
ABOUT THE HOOSIERS
► Indiana University is located in Bloomington, Ind., and has an enrollment of 38,247. The Hoosiers are members of the Big Ten Conference, and have 1,594 all-time wins.
► The Hoosiers finished the 2006-07 season with a 21-11 (10-6 Big Ten) record, finishing third in the conference and garnering at at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. IU defeated Gonzaga, before falling to Final Four participant UCLA in the second-round.
► Head coach Kelvin Sampson (Pembroke State `78) is in his second season at the helm of the Hoosier program. Sampson spent the previous 12 seasons as the head coach at Oklahoma. He also has head coaching stops at Washington State and Montana Tech.
► Indiana has three starters returning from last season's NCAA Tournament team, including Second-Team All-Big Ten selection D.J. White (13.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg), Armon Bassett (9.5 ppg, 97 assists) and Lance Stemler (6.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg). The Hoosiers also boast a top-10 recruiting class.
► Indiana was picked second in the Big Ten's preseason poll behind Michigan State.
THE STARTING FIVE
(1) Away from the Confines - Thursday's contest marks Illinois State's first game away from Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena this season, where the Redbirds jumped out to a 3-0 start. In the past 10 seasons, ISU has compiled a 4-6 record in road/neutral opening games.
(2) Dom's New Role - Senior guard Dom Johnson spent the majority of the second half of Sunday's win over UNC-Wilmington as the primary point guard. Johnson played all 20 minutes in the half, and finished the frame with 12 points and four assists to just one turnover.
(3) Offense is Plentiful - In Illinois State's 3-0 start, it has outscored the opposition by a combined 68 points, the most since the 1975-76 Redbirds outscored their first three foes by 85 points.
(4) Setting the Standard - After defeating UNC-Wilmington 89-73 Sunday, ISU head coach Tim Jankovich became just the second Redbird mentor in the Divison I era to begin his tenure with a 3-0 record. Jankovich joined Gene Smithson, who accomplished the feat with wins over Lewis, Long Island and Butler to begin the 1975-76 campaign.
(5) Double Protection - Illinois State's starting backcourt of Dom Johnson and Boo Richardson has quickly become accustomed to Jankovich's up-tempo, transition-centered offensive system, and have done so by protecting the ball. The duo has committed just five turnovers all season, and has a combined 3.2 assist-turnover ratio.
CHICAGO INVITATIONAL CHALLENGE AT-A-GLANCE
After defeating UNC-Wilmington 89-73 Sunday, Illinois State's final two games in the Chicago Invitational Challenge will be played at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill. Below is the game schedule for the challenge at the Sears Centre.
Third Round Schedule - Nov. 23
Noon - UNC Wilmington vs Longwood
2:30 p.m. - SEMO vs Coppin State
5 p.m. - Xavier vs Kent State
7:30 p.m. - Indiana vs Illinois State
Championship Round - Nov. 24
11:30 a.m. - Loser of UNCW/LU vs Loser of SEMO/CSU
2 p.m. - Winner of UNCW/LU vs Winner of SEMO/CSU
5 p.m. - Loser of XU/KSU vs Loser of IU/ISU
7:30 p.m. - Winner of XU/KSU vs Winner of IU/ISU
LAST TIME OUT: ELDRIDGE SCORES 30 AS ISU WINS THIRD STRAIGHT
Sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge poured in a career-high 30 points, including 16 in the second half, to lift Illinois State's men's basketball team to an 89-73 win over visiting UNC-Wilmington inside Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena Sunday afternoon. With the victory, Redbird head coach Tim Jankovich became just the second Redbird mentor in the Division I era to start his tenure with a 3-0 record. Eldridge's 30 points came on a 10-for-15 shooting effort that included a 5-for-6 mark from three-point range. Seniors Dom Johnson and Anthony Slack joined Eldridge in double-figures scoring with 17 and 15 points, respectively.
NEXT UP: REDBIRDS MEET XAVIER OR KENT STATE IN CHICAGO
Depending on the outcome between Illinois State and No. 8 Indiana, the Redbirds will face either Kent State or Xavier in the championship or consolation round of the tournament Nov. 24. The consolation round is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m., and the championship game is slated to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. from the Sears Centre.
ELDRIDGE NAMED MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After leading Illinois State to its first 3-0 start to a season since the 1996-97 campaign, sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week as announced by the league office Monday afternoon. It is Eldridge's first career player of the week honor, but his second weekly accolade from the conference. Eldridge was named MVC Newcomer of the Week for the period ending Feb. 25, 2006. Eldridge, the 2007 MVC Freshman of the Year, averaged 28.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in helping the Redbirds to a pair of home wins against Southeast Missouri State (Nov. 14) and UNC-Wilmington (Nov. 18) in the respective first and second rounds of the Chicago Invitational Challenge.
SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS
Eighth-ranked Indiana is off to a 3-0 start after recording home wins over Chattanooga (Nov. 12) Longwood (Nov. 18) and UNC-Wilmington. Through three games, five Hoosiers are averaging double-digits in scoring. Freshman guard Eric Gordon is averaging 28.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game while shooting at a 61 percent clip from the field, and a 58 (.583) tally from three-point range; 2007 second-team All-Big Ten honoree D.J. White has averaged 13.7 points per game while shooting 67 percent (.667) from the field; and Armon Bassett (17.7 ppg), Jordan Crawford (14.7 ppg) and DeAndre Thomas (10.7 ppg) are also averaging double figures. Indiana has compiled a 58 percent (.580) team shooting percentage.
AGAINST THE BIG TEN
Illinois State has a combined 5-21 all-time record against current members of the Big Ten Conference. The Redbirds have recorded two wins over Northwestern, and have defeated Iowa, Penn State and Wisconsin one time each. ISU's last win over a Big Ten foe was an 82-73 victory over Penn State in the 2004-05 season opener.
SCORING IN BUNCHES
In its first three games, Illinois State has scored a combined 249 points (70 vs. UMSL, 90 vs. SEMO and 89 vs. UNC-Wilmington), which is the most points after the first three games of the season since the 1997-98 campaign, when the Redbirds scored a combined 254 points against Oakland, Wisconsin and Pittsburgh to open the season.
SECOND HALF SURGE
For the second-straight game in the Chicago Invitational Challenge, Illinois State was forced to overcome a halftime deficit to rally for a win, fighting off a five-point (41-36) deficit to defeat visiting UNC-Wilmington, 89-73, Sunday inside Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. In the second half alone, the Redbirds have outscored their last two opponents, 99-57.
THIRTY SOMETHING
Against UNC-Wilmington, sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge became the first Redbird to score 30 or more points in a game since current backcourt teammate Dom Johnson tossed in 32 points at Florida State last season. Before Johnson, the last Illinois State player to score 30 points was Trey Guidry, who scored 30 points at Creighton on Jan. 22, 2005.
RUNNING AWAY WITH A WIN
After falling behind 48-38 just three minutes into the second half against UNC-Wilmington Sunday, the Redbirds strung together a 20-9 run over the ensuing five and a half minutes to claim a 58-57 lead with 11:23 remaining. Illinois State never surrendured the lead, eventually building a double-digit advantage (77-66) with 5:01 left.
DOUBLE-DIGIT DEAL
An upset over No. 8 Indiana Wednesday would tie ISU's best start to a regular-season campaign since the 1996-97 season, when the Redbirds started 4-0. That team went on to participate in the NCAA Tournament later that season after downing Pittsburgh (69-50), Eastern Kentucky (87-64), DePaul (75-50) and Ohio (81-69) to open the campaign.
PACING THE VALLEY
Entering this weekend's slate of Missouri Valley Conference games, the Redbirds lead the league in scoring margin (+22.7), three-point field goal percentage (.441) and three-point field goals per game (10.00). ISU also ranks second in scoring offense (83.0), field goal percentage (.497), assists per game (19.67), steals per game (11.33), turnover margin (+6.00) and assist-turnover ratio (1.23). Individually, Osiris Eldridge leads the league in scoring (21.7 ppg) and steals (3.33 spg); Brandon Holtz is pacing the Valley in three-point field goal percentage (.727) and Anthony Slack leads the MVC in blocks, turning in 2.67 blocks per contest.
DISHING THE ROCK
Point guard Boo Richardson ended last season averaging 4.9 assists-per-game, which is the highest average by a Redbird since Jamar Smiley dropped 6.4 assists-per-game during the 1997-98 season. In ISU's three games this season, Richardson is averaging a team second-best 4.0 assists per game (12 total assists). He has committed just two turnovers in an average of 21.0 minutes per game.
SLACK ATTACK
Anthony Slack isn't cutting any slack on ISU's opponents early this season. In ISU's three wins over UMSL, SEMO and UNC-Wilmington, Slack has averaged 14.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, along with collecting eight blocked shots. Sixteen of Slack's 42 total points have come off dunks, as he also leads the Redbirds with a stellar .792 shooting mark from the field. His double-double clinching 13 rebounds against SEMO were a career-high, and marked his fifth career game with double-digit boards. Slack set a career-high with four blocks against UNC-Wilmington, one game after tying his previous career-best with three blocks.
DYER STRAIGHTS
Despite his atypical 6-foot-11 frame, Levi Dyer has proven to be lethal from beyond the three-point arc. Heading into Friday's game, Dyer has now made a triple in 23-consecutive games.
ROBINSON, SMITH AND HILL SIGN
After verbally committing to Illinois State and first-year head coach Tim Jankovich over the summer, former Redbird guard and current Lincoln College star Bobby Hill, Decatur Eisenhower forward Jeremy Robinson and Chicago Simeon point guard Kenyon Smith made it official Wednesday, signing their respective National Letters of Intent to continue their education and basketball careers at ISU. All three players will begin their eligibility in the 2008-09 campaign.
VANDELLO NAMED SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Junior Mike Vandello was the recipient of the Doug Collins Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award at the State Farm Student-Athlete Academic Excellence banquet in Redbird Arena on Oct. 21. Vandello was a member of the AFNI Honor Roll and the Dean's List both semesters last year with identical 4.0 GPAs. He appeared in 27 games during his sophomore season and recorded career-highs of eight points and eight rebounds against Sacramento State. The junior from Bettendorf, Iowa, has a 4.0 cumulative GPA in biological sciences.
AIMING FOR THE "BIGGER BASKET"
Head coach Tim Jankovich said following Wednesday's game against SEMO that junior guard Brandon Holtz was shooting into a "bigger basket" than some of his teammates and individual opponents. That was evidenced by Holtz's 5-for-7 effort from beyond the three-point arc, which resulted in a career-high 15 points. After converting one of his two three-point field goal attempts against UNC-Wilmington Sunday, Holtz is now 8-of-11 on the season from three-point land.
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 very often in recent campaigns. ISU has dropped 26 of its last 29 games away from Redbird Arena. The Redbirds were 3-10 on the road last season, and broke their previous 16-game road losing streak with a 78-65 win at St. John's on Nov. 25, 2006. Friday's contest against Indiana is ISU's first game away from Redbird Arena this season.
GIVING THANKS -- FOR THE WINS
During its 109-year history Illinois State has compiled a 54-31 (.635) record in the month of November. The Redbirds have played just two games against ISU's six scheduled November opponents this season. Indiana defeated Illinois State in the first-round of the 1988 preseason NIT, and the `Birds tallied an 88-46 win over Chicago State in the 2000-01 season opener at Redbird Arena.
DYER, ELDRIDGE NAB PRESEASON HONORABLE MENTION PLAUDITS
In the 2007-08 MVC Preseason Poll, senior center Levi Dyer (12.1 ppg) and sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge (9.5 ppg) were each named honorable mention All-Valley selections. The league appointed five preseason all-MVC players, and recognized five honorable mention players. Dyer was voted captain of the Valley's "Most Improved Team" last season, and Eldridge earned the league's Freshman of the Year honor.
STARTING ANEW
Despite having just one freshman on the roster, Illinois State will welcome four newcomers to the mix this season, as first-year head coach Tim Jankovich signed junior college transfers Emmanuel Holloway and Brandon Sampay to the program; sophomore transfer Sead Odzic will be eligible in mid-December and freshman guard Alex Rubin was the lone member of ISU's 2007 recruiting class.
JANKOVICH NOT ALONE
Tim Jankovich is part of a Missouri Valley Conference single-season upheaval that has five new head coaches, the most since five new MVC head coaches took over for the 1978-79 season. Jankovich is joined by first-year head coaches Keno Davis (Drake), Marty Simmons (Evansville) Kevin McKenna (Indiana State) and Gregg Marshall (Wichita State).
SITTING IT OUT
Along with Holloway, Sampay, Odzic and Rubin, two other Division I transfers joined the Redbird basketball program during the offseason, as 6-foot-5 Oregon guard Chamberlain Oguchi and six-foot Austin Peay State guard Landon Shipley both transferred to ISU. Each will be forced to sit out the 2007-08 season, and begin their eligibility at Illinois State in the 2008-09 campaign. Both Oguchi and Shipley are currently practicing with the Redbirds.
THE NEW STAFF
Jankovich hired three assistant coaches that boast a combined 40 years of college coaching experience. He hired 18-year state of Illinois coaching veteran Rob Judson, who had spent the past six years as the head coach at Northern Illinois. Prior to his stint with the Huskies, Judson spent the previous 12 years as an assistant coach at Northern Illinois (1989-91), Bradley (1991-96) and his alma mater, Illinois (1996-2001). Anthony Beane, who was an assistant coach under former Redbird head coach Tom Richardson (2000-02) was also hired after a four-year stint at Saint Louis. Jankovich bolstered his Chicago recruiting ties with the hiring of Paris Parham, a well-respected high school coach in Chicago's Public League. Parham, who was ISU sophomore Osiris Eldridge's high school coach at Morgan Park, also boasts 10 years of college coaching experience.
POINT N' SHOOT
Shooting percentage was a key factor for ISU in terms of wins and losses last season. When ISU shot better than its opponent, the `Birds were 14-7. But when they were outshot, the Redbirds were 1-9. ISU has out-shot all three of its opponents this season, and is 3-0 in those games.
