Illinois State-Evansville Game Notes in PDF Format 
Jan. 11, 2008
Redbird All-Access members, watch head coach Tim Jankovich talk about Saturday's Evansville game.
Redbird All-Access members, watch sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge and junior forward Brandon Sampay talk about ISU's recent success.
Illinois State Redbirds (12-3, 4-0 MVC) vs. Evansville Purple Aces (5-9, 0-4 MVC)
Normal, Ill. • Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena
Radio: Redbird Radio Network
Dick Luedke (Play-by-play), Mike Matthews (Color)
Bruce Evans (Sideline)
Flagship WJBC 1230 AM
TV: MVC-Television Network (Mitch Holthus/Charlie Spoonhour)
STORYLINES
► Illinois State is 4-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play for the first time since the 1997-98 season, when the Redbirds started the league slate 6-0. That team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after going 25-6 (16-2 MVC) and winning the MVC regular-season and tournament titles.
► Illinois State has limited its last three opponents to less than 50 points in each game. The last time the Redbirds held three-straight opponents to less than 50 points was during the 1981-82 season.
► The Redbirds are on a seven-game winning streak, which is the longest streak by Illinois State since the 2000-01 season, when the `Birds rattled off seven-consecutive victories.
► Evansville has won three of the past four meetings against Illinois State. The Redbirds defeated the Purple Aces in the most recent contest (65-61) at Redbird Arena last season (Jan. 30, 2007).
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE
► The University of Evansville is located in Evansville, Ind., and has an enrollment of 2,421. The Purple Aces are members of the NCAA Division I and the Missouri Valley Conference.
► The Purple Aces finished the 2006-07 campaign with a 14-17 record overall and a 6-12 record in The Valley. UE finished tied for seventh place in the league standings, and lost its opening game of the State Farm MVC Tournament.
► Head coach and UE alum Marty Simmons is beginning his first season at the helm of the Purple Aces program, after spending the previous five seasons as the head coach at Division II Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. Simmons also spent 11 years on the Purple Aces staff as an assistant coach. Simmons is assisted by Marcus Belcher, Jimmy Elgas, an Illinois State alum, and Ben Wierzba.
► Evansville ranks last in the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring offense, compiling 60.5 points per game through 14 games this season. The Purple Aces also rank ninth in scoring defense, allowing an average of 63.9 points per game for the opposition.
SCOUTING THE PURPLE ACES
Evansville enters Saturday with a 5-9 record and is tied for ninth in the MVC with a 0-4 league mark. The Purple Aces have Valley losses against Indiana State, Northern Iowa, league co-leader Drake and Creighton, with two of those setbacks coming on the road. Junior guard Jason Holsinger paces the UE offense with 13.3 points per game, and also leads the team with 62 assists, 35 three-point field goals and a 44.9 three-point shooting percentage. Also in double figures is Shy Ely, who has averaged 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
LAST TIME OUT: REDBIRDS HOLD ON FOR WIN OVER UNI
Sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge scored a game-high 13 points, including two free throws in the final seconds, to lead Illinois State (12-3, 4-0 MVC) past Northern Iowa (10-5, 2-2 MVC), 51-46, on Tuesday, Jan. 8 at Redbird Arena. Despite making just one field goal in the final 13 minutes of the game and struggling from the free throw line early, the Redbirds made three key free throws in the final 11 seconds to hold off the Panthers, who nearly erased a 20-point deficit. Illinois State improved to 4-0 in Valley play for the first time since 1997 and held its opponent to under 50 points for the third-straight game, its first such streak since the 1981-82 season.
TELEVISION BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday's game against Evansville will air on FSN Midwest, Comcast SportsNet Chicago and Metro Sports as part of the Missouri Valley Conference Television Network. Mitch Holthus and Charlie Spoonhour will announce. The game will be shown live on FSN Midwest, Insight Media in Evansville, Ind., and Comcast SportsNet Chicago. MetroSports will televise the contest at a yet-to-be-determined time. Satellite coordinates are as follows: Galaxy 28K, Transponder 17 - Digital Slot B
NEXT UP: REDBIRDS HOST WICHITA STATE WEDNESDAY
Illinois State will host Missouri Valley Conference foe Wichita State Wednesday (Jan. 16) in the final game of its four-game homestand. The Redbirds defeated the Shockers (8-7, 1-3 MVC), 49-46, on Jan. 1 at Charles Koch Arena in the first game of the home-and-away series. Wichita State, who played without point guard Matt Braeuer and forward Ramon Clemente in the first contest, is 2-2 on the road this season. Clemente is back in the lineup for the Shockers.
WHAT PRESEASON POLL?!?
When examining the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll through four conference games, it becomes evident that very few voters had a grasp on what would unfold in the league this season. Three of the top four teams in the poll (Southern Illinois, Bradley and Missouri State) find themselves in the bottom-five of the league, and the top-three teams (Illinois State, Drake and Indiana State) were picked fifth, ninth and eighth, respectively.
DOM, LEVI CHASING MILESTONES
Seniors Levi Dyer and Dom Johnson will each be looking to set rebounding milestones Saturday against visiting Evansville. Dyer has 198 career rebounds, and is just two away from equaling 200 for his career, while Johnson enters the game with 98 rebounds in his one-plus-year career. He is just two rebounds away from hitting the 100-career rebound plateau.
LEVI, SLACK CRACK TOP-10
Seniors Levi Dyer and Anthony Slack have both cracked the career top-10 lists for three-point field goals made and blocks, respectively. Dyer's 127 career treys ranks 10th all-time and Slack's 61 blocks are the eighth-highest mark in program history. Dyer also continues to chase ISU's three-point field goal percentage career record -- he currently ranks third all-time with a 44.4 career mark from three-point range.
46 AND COUNTING ...
Senior guard Boo Richardson has started Illinois State's last 46 games, the longest such streak for any player on ISU's roster. Richardson is averaging 8.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 31.5 minutes per game in his one-plus-year career. He has never missed a start at Illinois State.
BOO'S RATIO AMONG NATION'S BEST
Boo Richardson's 3.63 assist/turnover through 13 games ranked fourth in the nation in the latest version of the NCAA Individual Statistics (through games Jan. 6, 2008). Richardson trails just Michigan State's Drew Neitzel (4.79), Detroit's Zach Everingham (4.00) and Jacksonville State's DeAndre Bray (3.63), who's 98 total assists were the tiebreaker with Richardson. Through 14 games, Richardson now has a 3.53 assist/turnover.
DYER'S THREE-POINT SUCCESS RECOGNIZED BY NCAA
Through Jan. 6, 2008, Levi Dyer's 50.0 percent three-point field goal percentage (39-79) was tied for the 11th-best mark in the NCAA Division I ranks this season. Dyer missed his lone three-point attempt against UNI Tuesday, and now has a 49.4 three-point field goal percentage (39-79) on the year, the top mark in the Missouri Valley Conference.
OTHER NCAA STATISTICAL NOTABLES
Illinois State had a considerable amount of representation in the updated version of the NCAA statistics (through games of Jan. 6, 2008). The Redbirds ranked 12th in scoring defense (57.4 ppg), 15th in field goal percentage defense (37.6), 41st in three-point field goal percentage (39.4) and 32nd in assist/turnover ratio (1.20).
REDBIRDS RECEIVE AP TOP-25 VOTES
After tallying back-to-back league wins last week to improve to 3-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play for the first time since the 1997-98 season, Illinois State's men's basketball team (11-3, 3-0 MVC) garnered one vote in the updated Associated Press Top-25 poll, released Monday afternoon. Illinois State has not received any votes or been ranked in either the AP or ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll since the 1997-98 season, when the Redbirds were ranked No. 24 on Nov. 18, 1997.
FOUR SCORE AND SEVEN YEARS AGO?
Illinois State tallied its fourth Missouri Valley Conference win of the season Tuesday over Northern Iowa, giving the Redbirds four league victories by Jan. 8, the second-quickest an ISU team has tallied its fourth league win since joining the Valley in the 1981-82 campaign. The 1997-98 team tallied its fourth conference win on Jan. 7, the fastest in school history.
VETERANS SHOULDER MOST OF STATISTICAL LOAD
With four starters returning from 2006-07 and five of the team's top-six scorers, the opportunities for this season's newcomers to contribute was somewhat limited. While Emmanuel Holloway, Brandon Sampay and Dinma Odiakosa have been valuable additions to the Redbird rotation, it has been the veterans that have carried most of the statistical responsibilities. Levi Dyer, Boo Richardson, Osiris Eldridge, Anthony Slack and Dom Johnson have accounted for 72 percent (.719) of ISU's scoring, 59 percent (.592) of its rebounding, 75 percent (.751) of the Redbirds' assists, 65 percent (.650) of their blocks and 68 percent (.683) of Illinois State's steals.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Illinois State has been one of the Valley's strongest defensive teams all season (the Redbirds rank second in both scoring defense and field goal percentage defense and are first in three-point field goal percentage defense), but its past three games have been one of the most dominant defensive stretches in program history. The Redbirds have held their past three Missouri Valley Conference opponents under 50 points, marking the first time an ISU team has accomplished that feat since its first year in the Valley (1981-82). Wichita State, Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa shot just a combined 28.4 percent from the field, and 21.1 percent from three-point range. Those foes have also averaged 16.3 turnovers, and just 7.7 assists per game.
JANKOVICH A TOP-10 FINALIST FOR MID-SEASON COACHING AWARD
Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich finished 10th in the national voting for the Hugh Durham mid-season coaching honor by CollegeInsider.com. Renamed after the legendary Georgia and Jacksonville head coach Hugh Durham, the award is given annually by CollegeInsider.com to the top mid-major coach in America. Drake head coach Keno Davis (fourth) and Creighton mentor Dana Altman (sixth) were also ranked in the top-10.
FREE THROW WOES ON DISPLAY AGAINST UNI
Illinois State's lack of success at the free throw line has been well-documented, as the Redbirds have been ranked last in the Missouri Valley Conference in free throw percentage all season. The struggles continued against UNI Tuesday night, as ISU shot a season-low 38.5 percent (5-13) from the charity stripe. Despite the low conversion rate, the Redbirds made four of their five freebies in the final 46 seconds to seal the win over the Panthers. ISU's current 62.3 free throw percentage would rank as the lowest since the 2004-05 campaign, when the `Birds compiled a 61.0 free throw mark.
SAMPAY'S ELEVATED MINUTES
Junior forward Brandon Sampay has seen his playing time steadily increase this season, and especially in conference play. In the past three games, Sampay has played an average of 13.7 minutes per game, more than four minutes above his season average (9.5 mpg). In relief of a foul-plagued Levi Dyer, Sampay played a season-high 19 minutes against UNI Tuesday, scoring four points and pulling down four rebounds.
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. In those three contests, the Redbirds outscored the Red Hawks, Seahawks and Flames by a combined score of 143-75 in the second half. Incredibly, only three of ISU's 14 games have had lead changes in the second half.
FIRST HALF SHOOTING
Illinois State has led at halftime in seven of the past eight games. In six of the seven contests the Redbirds led at the half, they shot 40 percent or better in the first period. The Redbirds have trailed at halftime in six contests this season, and have shot less than 40 percent in the opening stanza in four of those games.
TRENDS IN CURRENT SEVEN-GAME WINNING STREAK
In its current seven-game winning streak, Illinois State is outscoring its opponents by a 9.6 point margin, while shooting at a 44.3 percent clip ... opponents are shooting just 35.5 percent (24.6 percent from three-point range), and averaging just 52.1 points per game, in the past seven outings ... seven players (Osiris Eldridge, Levi Dyer, Boo Richardson, Dom Johnson, Anthony Slack, Dinma Odiakosa, Emmanuel Holloway and Brandon Sampay) are averaging five or more points per game over the last seven contests ... Boo Richardson has upped his scoring, averaging 7.3 points per game, and has shot at a 44.2 percent mark ... Richardson has a 2.3 assist/turnover ratio (25 assists, 11 turnovers) over the last seven games ... Richardson has also collected 15 steals (2.1 spg) in the stretch ... Levi Dyer has 18 three-point field goals in the stretch ... the Redbirds have averaged just 11.6 turnovers per game over the last seven contests ... ISU is averaging 31.1 points per game in the first half over the past seven games, compared to just 19.9 points for its opponents ... the Redbirds have 103 assists (14.7 apg) in the stretch ... opponents have tallied just 10.3 assists per game in the stretch.
HOME NOTABLES
Illinois State will be playing its third-consecutive home game after sweeping a four-game road swing ... the Redbirds are 8-0 inside Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena this season ... ISU is averaging 71.5 points per game at home, compared to just 52.8 points per contest for its opponents ... the Redbirds have forced their opponents into 18.8 turnovers per game at home ... ISU has tallied 133 assists (18.3 apg) at home, compared to just 68 (8.5 apg) for its opponents ... the Redbirds are shooting at a 47.9 percent clip, including a 41.2 percent mark from three-point range ... the `Birds have chalked up 146 assists (18.3 apg), compared to just 68 assists (8.5 apg) for the opposition ... ISU has an average attendance of 5,469 inside Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena ... Boo Richardson has a 4.37 assist/turnover ratio (35 assists, eight turnovers) at home ... Osiris Eldridge is averaging 17.4 points per game at home, more than three points per game above his season average ... Anthony Slack (11.3 ppg) and Levi Dyer (11.0) are also averaging double-figures in ISU's eight home games ... Eldridge is shooting 52.3 percent at home, with a 50.0 mark from beyond the three-point arc ... he is also shooting 74.4 percent from the free throw line ... Slack has tallied a 76.9 shooting percentage in ISU's eight home games ... Slack has also collected 13 blocks at home ... Dyer is 22-of-44 (.500) from three-point range at Redbird Arena.
CAREER RECORDS WATCH
Levi Dyer is 10th all-time in career three-point field goals, and is 10 treys away from tying Vince Greene (2001-05) for the ninth position ... Dom Johnson's 70 made threes ranks 17th all-time, and he trails Chad Altadonna (1991-95) by six three-pointers for the 16th spot ... Dyer has attempted 286 three-pointers in his career, the 13th-best mark in the Illinois State annals ... Johnson's 211 three-point attempts rank 15th, and Osiris Eldridge's 203 attempted threes ranks 17th ... Eldridge is just three attempted three-pointers away from tying Altadonna's 206 ... Dyer's 44.4 career three-point percentage ranks third all-time ... Eldridge (37.9) ranks 14th in career three-point field goal percentage, and Johnson (33.2) is 20th all-time ... Boo Richardson's 213 career assists ranks 23rd in the career category, and he is just seven assists away from moving into the top-20 ... Anthony Slack has 61 career blocks, good for eighth in ISU history ... Richardson and Johnson are each averaging 31.5 minutes per game in their respective careers, tied for the fourth-highest individual mark in program history.
