Feb. 19, 2008
Illinois State-Evansville Game Notes in PDF Format 
STORYLINES
► Illinois State will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak at Roberts Stadium. The Redbirds' last win over the Purple Aces in Evansville, Ind., occured on Feb. 13, 2002.
► The Redbirds, after defeating Evansville 74-66 on Jan. 8, will be seeking their first season sweep over the Purple Aces since the 2002-03 season. Dating back to last season, Illinois State has won two-consecutive games against the Purple Aces.
► Illinois State is 5-5 on the road this season, including a 3-4 mark in Valley road games. The Redbirds have recorded MVC road victories over Creighton, Wichita State and Missouri State.
► Sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge is coming off a 34-point performance at Indiana State Saturday, the highest single-game scoring output in the Missouri Valley Conference this season. Eldridge enters Wednesday's game leading the Valley in scoring at 16.7 points per game, including a league-best 17.2 points per conference contest.
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 NCAA Division I affiliates, and members of 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 to Drake.
► Head coach and UE alum Marty Simmons is in 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.
► Senior point guard Jason Holsinger, a preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference selection, has sat out the past two games due to a fractured hand he suffered against Drake on Feb. 9.
SCOUTING THE PURPLE ACES
Evansville enters Wednesday with an 8-17 record and is tied for ninth in the MVC with a 3-12 league mark. All three of the Purple Aces' Valley wins have occured inside the confines of Roberts Stadium, where UE has a 7-6 overall mark. Shy Ely, the MVC's third-leading scorer, is averaging 14.8 points per game, including 16.1 points per league outing. Ely's 5.3 rebounds per game also lead the Purple Aces, just ahead of Nate Garner's 5.2 caroms per game. The aforementioned Jason Holsinger leads Evansville with 4.5 assists per game, but is out indefinitely with a fractured hand. The Purple Aces are shooting a league second-best 38.7 percent from beyond the three-point arc, but are averaging a Valley low 5.27 made three-point field goals in conference games.
SCOUTING THE REDBIRDS
Illinois State is coming off Saturday's 76-72 loss to Indiana State, moving its overall record to 18-8 (10-5 MVC). Osiris Eldridge leads both the Redbirds and the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring at 16.7 points per game, and has led ISU in scoring in each of the past three games, and 13 times overall this season. Anthony Slack, the league leader in field goal percentage (.708), leads ISU in rebounding with 6.3 caroms per game. Boo Richardson, who tops the league in assist/turnover ratio (2.44), paces the Redbirds with 100 assists. ISU leads the league in field goal percentage (.471) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.332).
NEXT UP: REDBIRDS HOST WRIGHT STATE FOR BRACKETBUSTERS
Illinois State will take a break from Missouri Valley Conference play Sunday, when the Redbirds host Horizon League foe Wright State in the O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters series beginning at 5:30 p.m. The Raiders (19-6, 11-4 Horizon) are on a 10-game winning streak after edging visiting UIC Saturday, 52-51. Vaughn Duggins paces Wright State with 13.3 points per game, while Scottie Wilson's 6.7 rebounds per game are a team-high. The Raiders are 5-2 on the road this season, including five-consecutive wins away from home. Wright State edged nationally-ranked Butler, 43-42, on Dec. 8. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU, one of 28 teams in the O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters series to play on national television for the sixth-annual event.
CHASING A SECOND-PLACE FINISH
Illinois State's 76-72 loss at Indiana State, coupled with Southern Illinois' 74-67 overtime win at Wichita State, trimmed the Redbirds' lead to one-game over the third-place Salukis (14-12, 9-6 MVC), who ISU defeated, 56-47, on Jan. 5. The `Birds were eliminated from regular season Valley championship contention after No. 14 Drake clinched the outright title with a 65-55 win at UNI Saturday. The last time ISU finished second in the MVC standings was during the 2000-01 season, when the Redbirds went 12-6 in Valley play, and finished second behind Creighton (14-4).
LINEUP UPDATE: JOHNSON LISTED AS DAY-TO-DAY
Senior guard Dom Johnson is listed as day-to-day while recovering from flu-like symptoms and a sore throat. Johnson did not travel with the team to Terre Haute, Ind., missing his first game, and start, of the season. His status for Wednesday's game will be a game-time decision. Johnson scored 10 points on a 3-for-3 shooting effort against the Purple Aces on Jan. 12.
REVISITING JAN. 12 IN NORMAL
In the first match-up between the Redbirds and Purple Aces this season (Jan. 12), Illinois State led for all but 13 seconds, when Evansville started the game with a three-point basket. The Redbirds led by as many as 15 points in the first half, and took a 34-25 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Purple Aces trimmed ISU's lead to 48-45 with 7:13 remaining in the second half, but the Redbirds stretched their advantage back to 14 points, 65-51, with 2:20 remaining after going on a 16-6 run. Illinois State outscored the Purple Aces in the paint (24-18) and off turnovers (17-5), while the Redbird bench tallied a 22-15 advantage. Osiris Eldridge led a threesome of ISU players in double figures with 17 points, while UE's Shy Ely poured in 28 points, the most individual points scored against the Redbirds this season.
ELDRIDGE CHALKS UP FIRST MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR
After recording two dominating scoring efforts in Illinois State's home-road Missouri Valley Conference split last week, sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge was named the Valley Player of the Week as announced by the league office Monday afternoon. It is Eldridge's second-career player of the week honor, and the third time he has been recognized by the conference office in a weekly plaudit. He was tabbed the MVC Newcomer of the Week on Feb. 26, 2007. Eldridge averaged 29.0 points, 6.0 three-point field goals, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game on a 60.6 shooting percentage in Illinois State's two Missouri Valley Conference games last week. The Redbirds defeated Missouri State Wednesday, and dropped a 76-72 decision at Indiana State Saturday.
MVC PLAYER OF THE YEAR? O-MY!
While he was not even picked to the preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference team, as end of the Valley season approaches, it is becoming evident that sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge deserves a good, hard look as a MVC Player of the Year candidate. Eldridge leads the Valley in scoring with 16.7 points per game, and is the league's 15th-leading rebounder, at 5.3 rebounds per contest. He is also shooting 49.7 percent from the field, the seventh-best mark in the MVC this season. Eldridge's 1.38 steals per game ranks 12th overall. In conference play, his 2.80 made three-point field goals per game leads the league. Eldridge has 24 double-digit scoring efforts this season, including 21 in the last 22 games. An updated single-season and career bio, along with a game-by-game breakdown of Eldridge's season is available on the front page of GoRedbirds.com.
THIRTY SOMETHING
Against Indiana State (Feb. 16), sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge scored 34 points, the most for a Redbird player since current backcourt teammate Dom Johnson tossed in 32 points at Florida State last season. Eldridge's 34 points eclipsed his previous career-high of 30 points that he scored against UNC-Wilmington on Nov. 18. His 12 made field goals were also a career-best mark.
LEADING THE VALLEY FROM DISTANCE
Osiris Eldridge has recently become the catalyst for Illinois State, the top three-point shooting team in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Chicago native is averaging 2.80 three-point field goals per game in league play, topping the Valley in that category. Eldridge, who made all seven of ISU's three-pointers at Indiana State Saturday, is averaging 4.2 made three-pointers per contest over the last five games.
SIMMONS AND JANKOVICH IN SAME BOAT
Tim Jankovich and Evansville head coach Marty Simmons are each 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 and Simmons are joined by first-year head coaches Kevin McKenna (Indiana State), Keno Davis (Drake) and Greg Marshall (Wichita State).
COUISNARD PART 4
For the fourth-time this season, an opposing player with the last name of "Couisnard" will play against Illinois State Wednesday. Evansville's Jay Couisnard is the brother of Wichita State preseason All-Valley selection PJ Couisnard. In the Jan. 12 game between ISU and UE at Redbird Arena, Jay Couisnard scored one point, but fouled out, in 15 minutes of action. The Couisnard brothers hail from Houston.
BOO, OSIRIS HIT MILESTONES
Senior guard Boo Richardson dished out his 100th assist of the season Saturday at Indiana State, and Osiris Eldridge quickly surpassed the career 700-point plateau. He entered the game with 694 career points, and after pouring in 34, now has a career active-leading 728 points heading into Wednesday's game at Evansville. Notably, Anthony Slack corralled his 100th defensive rebound of the season against the Sycamores, and Dinma Odiakosa scored his 200th career point.
LEVI, SAMPAY EYE MILESTONES
Frontcourt mates Levi Dyer and Brandon Sampay enter Wednesday's game within reach of securing significant single-season and career milestones. Dyer has 697 career points, and is just three away from equaling 700 points for his career. Sampay needs just five points to become the eighth ISU player this season to score 100 points. Notably, Brandon Holtz has 198 career points, and is just two points away from equaling 200, and Mike Vandello's 199 career points are just one point away from accomplishing the same feat.
SAMPAY'S CHARGE
Junior forward Brandon Sampay, who has been the first substitution in two of ISU's last three games, has increasingly become a valuable weapon for the Redbirds offensively. His presence was especially significant at the tail end of the first half against Missouri State last Wednesday, when Sampay scored the Redbirds' final six points of the stanza, and ended with eight points. He followed it up with eight points on 2-of-4 shooting, including a 4-for-4 effort from the charity stripe, and corralled three rebounds in 12 minutes against Indiana State.
TURNOVERS LEAD TO SETBACKS
For the seventh time this season, Illinois State committed more turnovers (13) than assists (12) Saturday at Indiana State. Each of those games, five of which were on the road, led to defeats. In the Redbirds' last game against Evansville, ISU had 16 assists against 13 turnovers.
13-POINT LEAD DISAPPEARS AGAINST SYCAMORES
Illinois State owned a 13-point advantage (39-26) with 2:55 remaining in the first half Saturday at Indiana State, but the Sycamores finished the opening stanza on a 9-1 run, and pulled within five, 40-35, heading into the locker room at halftime. The Sycamores eventually took their first lead with (45-44) 13:17 left in the second half, erasing ISU's largest lead surrendured in a loss this season.
60 THE BAROMETER?
Illinois State allowed 76 points against Indiana State Saturday, marking the sixth time this season the Redbirds have suffered a loss when allowing 70 or more points for the opposition. The Redbirds are 11-0 when holding their opponents to 60 or less points.
ELEVATED SHOOTING CONTINUES
Despite recording its third shooting mark of 50 percent or better in the past four games Saturday at Indiana State, the Redbirds were edged by the Sycamores, 76-72. ISU has shot better than 50 percent in 10 contests this season, and is 7-3 in those games.
TIME TO STEP IT UP?
Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich has used five different starting combinations this season, with two of those occuring due to injury. In the absence of Anthony Slack (Jan. 27 vs. Indiana State and Jan. 30 at UNI) and Dom Johnson (Feb. 16 at Indiana State), ISU's bench has been outscored 52-33, including Saturday's 17-12 advantage by Indiana State's reserves. The Redbirds are 4-5 this season when their bench is outscored by the opposition's reserves.
FREE THROW OPPORTUNITIES GO AGAINST THE `BIRDS
Illinois State shot 28 free throws to Indiana State's 26 Saturday, marking the Redbirds' first loss this season when attempting more free throws than their opponent. ISU was 6-0 in those games headed into Saturday's contest.
A NEW FEBRUARY?
Illinois State had a combined 11 wins in the months of December and January. But it is a new month, and in recent history, February hasn't been friendly to the Redbirds. Dating back to the 2002-03 season, ISU has a combined 16-29 record in the month of February. The Redbirds haven't won more than three games in the second month of the calendar year since the 2002-03 campaign. ISU already has three February wins this season.
DOUBLE-DIGIT VALLEY WINS: IT'S BEEN A WHILE
Illinois State enters Wednesday's game with a 10-5 record in Missouri Valley Conference action. The last time ISU had at least 10 MVC wins was in the 2000-01 season, when the Redbirds went 12-6 in Valley play. That team went 21-9 overall, advanced to the State Farm MVC Tournament semifinals, and played in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
DIVERSITY IN SCORING
While just two ISU players, Osiris Eldridge and Anthony Slack, average double-digits this season, a balanced scoring attack has helped the Redbirds to their 18 wins. Eldridge (433), Dom Johnson (229) and Anthony Slack (246) have all eclipsed 200 points for the season, and Levi Dyer (184), Dinma Odiakosa (176), Boo Richardson (165) and Emmanuel Holloway (124) have all passed 100 points.
REBOUNDING TRIO
Anthony Slack (6.3 rpg), Dinma Odiakosa (5.4) and Osiris Eldridge (5.3) are all averaging more than five rebounds per game through 26 games this season. The last time Illinois State had three players average at least five rebounds per game in a single season was during the 1998-99 campaign, when L. Dee Murdock (6.1 rpg), Sean Riley (5.3) and LeRoy Watkins (5.5) all grabbed more than five caroms per outing.
DISHIN' WITH BOO AND DOM
Senior backcourt tandem Boo Richardson (100 assists) and Dom Johnson (84) are both on pace to average at least 3.0 assists per game for the second-consecutive season. Prior to the 2006-07 campaign, the last time two Redbirds averaged three or more assists in the same season was during the 1994-95 campaign, when David Cason (6.8 apg) and Jamar Smiley (3.2 apg) both accomplished the feat.
WIN-LOSS ANALYSIS
In Illinois State's 18 wins, the Redbirds have averaged 69.5 points, 8.2 made three-point field goals, 17.3 assists and 7.7 steals per game. Conversely, in ISU's eight losses, the `Birds have averaged 66.2 points, 6.3 made three-pointers, 12.3 assists and 5.3 steals per game.
ISU-SIU Season Finale Completes Wildcard Weekend
After Illinois State's men's basketball team put a stranglehold on sole possession of second-place in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 72-68 win over rival Bradley on Feb. 9, the conference office announced Feb. 11 that the Redbirds will be showcased one more time on the MVC Television Network, when ISU visits in-state rival Southern Illinois Saturday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m. The game will clear live on FSN Midwest and Comcast SportsNet Chicago as part of the league's "Wildcard Weekend."
