The Bears are second in the conference in scoring (76.4 ppg.), but rank first in scoring margin (+11.8), field goal percentage (48.9) and assists (17.25).
FAT TUESDAY
There hasn't been any partying in the streets, but the Redbirds have had a lot of success playing on Tuesday nights. This season, the `Birds boast a perfect 5-0 mark on the second day of the work week. During head coach Porter Moser's tenure, ISU is 14-3 on Tuesdays.
MOVIN' ON UP
Like George Jefferson, Levi Dyer's scoring average has been movin' on up the stat sheet. After six games this season, Dyer ranked ninth on the Redbird roster with 2.3 points per game. Currently, Dyer leads the team by boasting a 10.5 points per contest average.
A BAKER'S DOZEN
Despite his atypical 6-foot-11 frame, Levi Dyer has proven to be lethal from beyond the arc this season. With a pair of threes against Bradley, Dyer has now made at least one triple in 13 straight games. It is the longest streak by a Redbird since Gregg Alexander (2004-05) ended his collegiate career with a string of 15 straight contests with a trey.
A FRESH START
In the last two games, Illinois State has started a pair of true freshmen in Osiris Eldridge and Bobby Hill. It marks the second straight season in which the Redbirds have started a pair of true freshmen. Both Brandon Holtz and Dinma Odiakosa were inserted in the starting lineup together for four games last season from Jan. 25 - Feb. 4.
DIVERSITY IN SCORING
Illinois State has six players with 200 or more points on the season. Levi Dyer (251), Boo Richardson (245), Anthony Slack (242), Greg Dilligard (219), Osiris Eldridge (214) and Dom Johnson (211) have all reached the plateau. The last time the Redbirds had six players score 200 or more points in a season was during the 1997-98 campaign.
PERCENT AND PROBABILITY
So far this season, when Greg Dilligard attempts a field goal there is a high probability it is going in. In fact it is so high, that if he stays on this pace it would be the highest single-season field goal percentage in Illinois State history. The current conference leader is making 66.4 percent of his field goals this season, including a 26-for-27 (.963) shooting string in his last five games.
ROLE REVERSAL
By looking at the stat lines from Saturday's game against Bradley, it appeared that Levi Dyer and Boo Richardson traded places. After all, the 6-foot-11 Dyer led the Redbirds with a career-high six assists and only grabbed two boards, while Richardson, and his 5-foot-8 frame, was second on the team with seven rebounds to go along with his one assist.
WITH AGE COMES EXPERIENCE ...
Heading into the 2006-07 season, junior center Levi Dyer had amassed 138 total points in his collegiate career. This year, he has already totaled 251 points on the season. Averaging a personal-best 10.5 points per game this season, Dyer is on pace to finish the season with 326 points, more than doubling his career total heading into the season.
224 GAMES WITH A TREY
ISU enters tonight's game at Missouri State with at least one made three in 224 straight games. The last time ISU didn't sink a trey was an 82-43 loss at Creighton on Dec. 12, 1999.
USS ELDRIDGE
It's not the Philadelphia Experiment, but at 6-foot-3, freshman Osiris Eldridge must be teleporting himself into rebounding position during Illinois State's league games. In fact, Eldridge leads the Redbirds with 6.1 caroms per game during ISU's 13 conference match-ups. He has 12 more rebounds than any other Redbird in league play.
DYERMAKER
Since entering the starting lineup 13 games ago, junior Levi Dyer has been making the most of his opportunities. During the 13-game span, Dyer has posted double-figure scoring in 12 outings, including four 20-point games, one of which was a career-best 27-point effort against Drake. During that time, Dyer is averaging a team-best 15.1 points and is shooting 50 percent from three-point range.
LETHAL WEAPON 3
After Boo Richardson fired in six three-pointers at Drake, it gave the Redbirds three separate players who have made six or more three-pointers in a single game this season. Osiris Eldridge dumped in eight at Creighton, while Dom Johnson poured in seven against Florida State earlier in the season. In addition, Roberto Fortes did it twice last season with seven treys at Miami (Ohio) and six at Redbird Arena against Drake.
A KING AND HIS COURT
Prior to Saturday's game against Bradley, the would-be-king of Redbird basketball, Doug Collins, was honored as Redbird Arena's floor was formally named "Doug Collins Court." Collins lettered three years at Illinois State from 1971-73, while scoring a school-record 2,240 points. He averaged 29.1 points per game during his career and scored double figures in every game he played wearing a Redbird uniform. Collins also competed for the United States in the 1972 Olympic games, prior to being selected as the first pick overall in the 1973 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. The four-time NBA all-star was also a successful coach with the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards and is an award-winning NBA television analyst.
DILLY FOR THE BLOCK
Senior Greg Dilligard became Illinois State's career leader in blocked shots this season and he enters tonight's game with 153 career swats. Dilligard is only the fifth player in Redbird history to post 100 or more blocked shots in a career. He currently has 28 blocks on the season.
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).
CLEANING THE GLASS
ISU ranks second in the conference with 10.88 offensive boards per game, behind only Drake (14.25). That is the highest offensive rebound average since ISU averaged 13.5 offensive caroms per contest during the 1996-97 campaign.
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 237 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 49 baskets inside the arc. He has also continued to shoot from three and ranks second on the team with 38 made three-pointers.
BOO'S CLUES
Chances are if you want to see how the Redbirds did, just look at Boo Richardson's stat line. In the 12 wins, Richardson is averaging a team-high 13.8 points per game, while shooting 51.0 percent from the field and 41.3 percent on threes, with an 1.77 assist-to-turnover ratio. In the 12 losses, Richardson is averaging 6.7 points per game, shooting 26.2 percent, including 26.1 percent on threes, and has a 1.07 assist-to-turnover ratio.
DISHING THE ROCK
Junior point guard Boo Richardson enters tonight's game averaging 5.2 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 124 assists on the season and is on pace to finish the regular season with 161, which would be No. 10 all-time.
THREE-BALLIN'
Through 24 games, 40.6 percent of ISU's field goal attempts have come from beyond the 3-point arc. The `Birds are averaging 21.6 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 670 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 239 made treys, which would claim the school standard and top the current mark of 220 set during the 1997-98 season.
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.
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 12 times. Levi Dyer has scored 20-plus four times, Boo Richardson three times, Anthony Slack twice, while Dilligard, Dom Johnson and Osiris Eldridge have all accomplished it once.
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 their opponents, the `Birds are 43-14 (.754) over the last four seasons. When the Redbirds shoot worse, ISU is 5-48 (.094).
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. This season, Rubin is averaging 20.6 points per contest, while Armstrong owns an 13-5 record.
