Dec. 3, 2007
Illinois State-EMU Game Notes in PDF Format 
STORYLINES
► Despite the Redbirds being seven games into the season, tonight's tilt marks the 2007-08 road opener for Illinois State. To date, the `Birds have played five home games, and two contests on a neutral site. ISU will play five of its next six games away from Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
► Tonight's game officially starts a stretch in which Illinois State will play three of its next four contests on the road against Mid-American Conference foes. The Redbirds will also travel to Bowling Green (Dec. 16) and Ball State (Dec. 22) before opening Missouri Valley Conference play Dec. 29 at Creighton.
► Tonight's game at Eastern Michigan is a return contest from the 2003-04 season, when ISU defeated the Eagles at Redbird Arena (80-69 on Dec. 6, 2003).
► Tuesday's contest marks ISU's first trip to Ypsilanti since the 1973-74 season. The Redbirds have never played a game in EMU's Convocation Center.
ABOUT THE EAGLES
► Eastern Michigan University is located in Ypsilanti, Mich., and has a total enrollment of 24,800. The Eagles are a member of the Mid-American Conference West Division.
► The Eagles are off to a 3-4 start this season through seven non-conference contests. EMU is 1-2 at home, defeating Radford (Nov. 11) and dropping decisions to Brown (Nov. 9) and Detroit (Nov. 28). The Eagles are coming off Saturday's 76-65 loss at Notre Dame.
► Head coach Charles Ramsey is in his third season at the helm of EMU, his only head coaching stop. As an assistant coach, Ramsey's resume includes stints at Michigan (2001-05), Cal (1996-2001), EMU (1996), Drake (1994-96) and Tennessee State (1993-94).
► EMU returns 11 letterwinners, including five starters, from last season's squad. The Eagles lost Brandon Bowdry, who started 28 of 32 games as a freshman, for the season after he suffered a broken foot.
► The Redbirds and Eagles have four familiar opponents on their respective schedules (Ball State, Bowling Green, Chicago State and Kent State).
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Eastern Michigan will be playing just its third home game of the season when the Eagles and Redbirds face off Tuesday night. EMU has three players averaging double-digits in scoring, led by Jesse Bunkley, who comes into the game averaging 13.8 points per contest. Point guard Carlos Medlock (12.6 ppg/team-high 36 assists) and forward Justin Dobbins (12.1 ppg) are also averaging double-digits in the scoring column. In their last game, the Eagles ran into a hot-shooting Notre Dame squad and dropped a 76-65 non-conference decision Saturday night in South Bend, Ind. The Fighting Irish connected on 27-of-48 field goal attempts for 56.3 percent and hit 10-of-16 three-point field goals for 62.5 percent. Dobbins led the Eagles with a game-high 26 points while Zane Gay added 14. EMU has now lost two straight games after winning consecutive contests over Manhattan and St. Bonaventure.
LAST TIME OUT: Dyer's Career Night Leads Redbird Rout of UIC
Backed by senior center Levi Dyer's torrid shooting spree in the second half, Illinois State routed Illinois-Chicago, 73-47, Saturday night on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. ISU shot 74 percent from the field in the second half, and a season-best 57 percent for the game, compared to UIC's 19 percent field goal percentage in the second period and just a 29 percent mark for the game. Dyer scored a season-best 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field, which included 15 points in the second half.
NEXT UP: REDBIRDS RETURN HOME TO HOST CINCINNATI
Illinois State will return home Saturday to host BIG EAST Conference foe Cincinnati beginning at 7:05 p.m. The game is a return contest from the 2005-06 season, when the Bearcats posted a 76-59 win over the Redbirds at Fifth Third Arena. Cincinnati and Illinois State have met just twice in the all-time series.
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. After back-to-back losses to No. 8 Indiana and Kent State in the Chicago Invitational Challenge, ISU has dropped 28 of its last 31 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. Tonight's game against Eastern Michigan is ISU's road opener.
A MAC ATTACK
ISU continues its attack on the Mid-American Conference tonight against Eastern Michigan. Playing a league member of the MAC is nothing new for Illinois State, especially since the `Birds have faced at least one MAC team during the last nine seasons. The `Birds have had their share of success against the MAC with a 148-106 record (.585). The only current member of the 12-team conference that the Redbirds have never faced is Toledo. ISU will play a total of four MAC teams this season, and three in the next four weeks -- ISU visits EMU tonight, along with road tilts at Bowling Green (Dec. 16) and Ball State (Dec. 22) all before the beginning of the 2009 calendar year.
JUD'S HISTORY AGAINST THE EAGLES
ISU assistant coach and former Northern Illinois mentor Rob Judson will undoubtedly be an asset to the Redbirds when preparing for their four MAC foes this season. Judson was especially successful against Eastern Michigan, compiling a 10-2 record against the Eagles in his six seasons at the helm.
"ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS"
Senior center Levi Dyer said following Saturday's 73-47 win over Illinois-Chicago that he was coming off "one of those nights," in which his shot just kept falling. Dyer's season-high 25 points (his second-straight double-figure outing and the fourth this season) came on 9-of-11 shooting, including a 7-for-8 effort from beyond the three-point arc, the best shooting percentage by an ISU player in Redbird Arena history. Dyer now has seven 20-point games in his career. His seven made three-pointers tied Dyer for fifth-place all-time in ISU history for a single-game.
RUNNING AWAY WITH A WIN
For the second-consecutive game, Illinois State strung together a dominating run to put the clamps down on its opponent and cruise to a home victory. The Redbirds opened the second half on a 12-0 run (which turned into a 23-4 spurt), hitting 11 of their first 12 shots of the frame, while UIC missed its first nine field goals of the half. Tuesday night against Chicago State, ISU used a 25-0 run mid-way through the first half to build a 33-10 lead. During the run, the Cougars were held scoreless for 10:21, while missing 14 field goals and committing five turnovers.
A SECOND HALF TEAM TO SAY THE LEAST
Illinois State has consistently showed its ability to finish strong this season, registering three second-half comebacks to post wins. The Redbirds trailed heading to the locker room against Southeast Missouri State (Nov. 14) and UNC-Wilmington (Nov. 18), and were tied with UIC at halftime Saturday night. In those three contests, the Redbirds outscored the Red Hawks, Seahawks and Flames by a combined score of 143-75 in the second half. ISU has outscored six of its seven opponents in the second half this season, with the only exception being No. 8 Indiana, who edged the Redbirds in the second half, 32-29.
DISHIN' WITH BOO
For the second-consecutive game, point guard Boo Richardson is coming off of his season-best effort for assists with eight against UIC. Through seven games, Richardson has 30 assists and only six turnovers. Last season, after seven games, Richardson had more assists (42), but also had 34 turnovers. Richardson has also stepped up his defense; after holding Chicago State's David Holston (who came into the game averaging 27.0 ppg) to 12 points Tuesday (16 below his average), Richardson limited UIC's Josh Mayo to 10 points, all in the first half. Mayo was averaging 16.6 points per game as the Flames' leading scorer.
AN EFFICIENT COMBO
Senior backcourt mates Dom Johnson and Boo Richardson haven't given their opponents much room to capitalize on unforced errors this season. Johnson and Richardson have a combined 3.28 assist-to-turnover ratio this season. Richardson (5.0) and Johnson (2.63) rank among the league's leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio, as Richardson leads the Redbirds with 30 assists and Johnson closely follows with 29.
SPEAKING OF PROTECTING THE BALL ...
Illinois State has committed 15 or fewer turnovers in four of its last five games, including a season-low 11 turnovers in Tuesday's outing against Chicago State. The Redbirds are only averaging 15.3 turnovers per game.
BLOCKING WITH SLACK
Anthony Slack's blocked shot at the 15:23 mark of the second half against UIC Saturday night was the 50th block of his two-plus year career. He became the 14th player in Illinois State history to post 50 or more blocked shots in a career.
GETTIN' IT DONE
While the Redbird starting five has accounted for nearly two-thirds (74 percent) of ISU's scoring output this season, the bench has also proven its value early this season. ISU's bench players have outscored their opponents' reserves by a score of 207-114. Kent State's bench was the only set of reserves to outscore ISU's bench this season, edging the Redbirds, 22-20, on Nov. 24.
A CENTURY OF TREYS
For Levi Dyer, "a century of treys" lasts about 73 games. That's how long it took for the Redbird center to sink the 100th three-point field goal of his career. By reaching the milestone, Dyer became the 13th Redbird to achieve the feat. He now has 109 triples in his career, which ranks No. 13 in school history, and needs two more makes to surpass former Redbird Kyle Cartmill (112).
REDBIRDS IN THE GIFT-GIVING MOOD
Well, it is the season, and the Redbirds were feeling extra generous against UIC Saturday night. Illinois State made 30 field goals in the 73-47 non-conference victory, and 23 came way by of an assist. As a result, 77 percent of the Redbird shots made were the result of an extra pass. The performance followed Tuesday night's win over Chicago State, in which the Redbirds had 22 assists on 28 field goals. ISU has recorded 20 or more assists in four of its seven games this season.
238 GAMES WITH A TREY
Knock one down against Eastern Michigan and Illinois State will extend its streak to 239-straight games with at least one made three-point field goal. The last time ISU failed to convert a three was in an 82-43 loss at Creighton Dec. 12, 1999.
SLACK ATTACK
Anthony Slack, the league leader in blocked shots, isn't cutting ISU's opponents any slack so far this season. Through seven games, Slack has posted a team-best 19 blocked shots. He is averaging 2.71 blocks per game, which would ranks as the second-highest blocked shots average in a single-season at ISU.
TAYLOR MADE TO PUSH IT?
Illinois State has tallied more fastbreak points than five of its seven opponents this season (and tied with Kent State on Nov. 24). When the Redbirds have been successful running in transition, it has translated to substantial runs and large victory margins. In ISU's three wins in which it has scored 20 or more fastbreak points, the Redbirds have defeated those foes (Missouri-St. Louis, Southeast Missouri State and Illinois-Chicago) by nearly 25 (24.3) points per contest.
TURNING DEFENSE INTO OFFENSE
Of course, starting the fastbreak usually happens when a turnover is forced on the other end of the court. The Redbirds have forced 135 turnovers this season, and have scored 152 points off those mishaps (21.71 ppg). In the past two games, Illinois State has scored a combined 40 points off turnovers.
100-in-7
Sophomore Osiris Eldridge scored 13 points against Illinois-Chicago Saturday, eclipsing the 100-point plateau for the season. It is rare to reach 100 points in less than seven games. The last Redbird to accomplish this feat was Tarise Bryson, who had 100 points after five games, to start the 2000-01 season.
O' NO!
That's the sentiment of opposing ball-handlers when being guarded by Illinois State's Osiris Eldridge. Through seven games, Eldridge has already amassed 19 steals, or 2.7 per game. He is on pace to finish the year with 81 thefts, which would shatter the school record held by Todd Starks (1986-87) by 20 steals.
BOARDING CALL
Through six games, Anthony Slack is averaging a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game. If he can maintain his pace, Slack would become the first Redbird to average seven or more rebounds per game over a season since Baboucarr Bojang logged 7.6 boards per contest during the 2001-02 season. In addition to Bojang, only three others have averaged seven or more rebounds a game for the Redbirds over the last 20 years: Rico Hill (7.5 rpg. in 1997-98 and 8.2 rpg. in 1996-97), Reggie Wilson (7.0 rpg. in 1990-91) and Cliff Peterson (7.0 rpg. in 1987-88).
POINT N' SHOOT
It seems to be a recent trend in Redbird basketball - a higher field goal percentage equals wins. So far this season, the Redbirds have outshot their opponent in five games and all five resulted in ISU victories. The two games that the Redbirds had the lower field goal percentage ended up being defeats.
THIRTY SOMETHING
Against UNC-Wilmington (Nov. 18), 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 Jan. 22, 2005.
FULL-SERVICE SLACK
The accomplishments of Anthony Slack's start to his senior season have been well documented. But one area left untouched has been his accuracy from the field. Slack is shooting 69.2 percent from the field this season, converting 36 of his 52 field goal attempts. It's early, but the school record for single-season field goal percentage is 64.8 percent by Tony Holifield during the 1987-88 season.
A TRIO OF SCORERS
At this point, Illinois State has three players averaging double-digit points per game. Osiris Eldridge is pouring in 15.9 points per contest, Anthony Slack is averaging 12.6 points per game and Levi Dyer is tossing in 12.4 tallies per game. The last time Illinois State had three players averaging double-figures was during the 2002-03 season with Gregg Alexander (11.1 ppg.), Vince Greene (12.3 ppg.) and Trey Guidry (11.1 ppg.).
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.
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).
THREE-BALLING
After seven games, the Redbirds are anything but shy about shooting from beyond the arc. Illinois State has shot significantly more threes than its opponents (153 tries, compared to 102). The Redbirds are also averaging 9.3 made treys per game, which is nearly five more than their opponents.
ODZIC ON DECK
USC transfer Sead Odzic will be ready to make his Illinois State debut Dec. 29. It just so happens that will be when Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich will make his Missouri Valley Conference debut, as the Redbirds travel to Creighton. Odzic joined the team last season, but has been forced to sit out to meet NCAA resident requirements.
