Illinois State Game Notes in PDF Format 
Feb. 29, 2008
STORYLINES
► The winner of tonight's game between the Redbirds and Salukis will garner the No. 2 seed in next week (March 6-9) State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, while the loser will be the third seed.
► Southern Illinois has rolled off six-consecutive wins over Illinois State at SIU Arena. The Redbirds' last win in Carbondale, Ill., occured on Jan. 14, 2001.
► The Redbirds defeated the Salukis (56-47) Jan. 5 on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena in the first game of the annual home-and-away series, breaking an 11-game losing streak against Southern Illinois.
► Illinois State (21-8, 12-5 MVC) has recorded 20 wins for the first time since the 2000-01 season. The Redbirds' 12 wins in Missouri Valley Conference play are also the most since the same campaign.
► Tonight's game was selected as the Valley's Game of the Week as part of the league's "Wildcard Weekend" model. Between the ISU men's and women's programs, the Redbirds will be featured on three of the four Wildcard clearance windows this weekend.
ABOUT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
► Southern Illinois University is located in Carbondale, Ill., and has a total enrollment of 20,983. The Salukis are members of the NCAA
Division I and the Missouri Valley Conference.
► The Salukis finished the 2006-07 campaign with a 29-7 record overall and a 15-3 mark in The Valley. SIU finished in first place in the league standings, and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
► Head coach Chris Lowery (Southern Illinois `95), a two-time Rawlings MVC Coach of the Year, is in his is fourth season at the helm of the Salukis. Prior to SIU, Lowery was an assistant coach at Illinois (2003-04), SIU (2001-03), SE Missouri State (2000-01), Missouri Southern State (1997-2000) and Rend Lake CC (1995-97).
► SIU entered the 2007-08 season with the eighth-most wins in the nation since 2001, joining six other teams from BCS conferences.
SCOUTING THE SALUKIS
Southern Illinois enters Saturday's game with a 17-12 record, including an 11-6 mark in the Valley -- the Salukis are currently in third-place in the league standings. Senior forward Randal Falker, a preseason John Wooden Watch List member, leads the Salukis in scoring and rebounding with 12.8 points and 6.8 caroms per game. Matt Shaw, who corralled 18 rebounds against the Redbirds Jan. 5 in Normal, Ill., is also averaging 6.8 rebounds per game. Junior guard Bryan Mullins has 150 assists on the season. SIU, which has a 61-1 home record against MVC foes since the 2001-02 season, is 12-2 at SIU Arena this season. The Salukis are on a season-best five-game winning streak, including Wednesday's 71-60 win at Bradley.
SCOUTING THE REDBIRDS
Illinois State is coming off Wednesday's 68-54 win over visiting Creighton in the regular season home finale, and is 21-8 with a 12-5 record in Missouri Valley Conference play -- the Redbirds are in sole possession of second place in the Valley entering Saturday's game. Osiris Eldridge leads the Redbirds, and is second in the Missouri Valley Conference, in scoring at 16.0 points per game. He has led ISU in scoring 13 times overall this season. Anthony Slack, the league leader in field goal percentage (.696), leads ISU in rebounding with 7.0 caroms per game, and pulled down a career-high 20 caroms Wednesday against the Bluejays. Boo Richardson paces the Redbirds with 113 assists. ISU is 6-5 on the road this season, including a 4-4 mark in Valley road tilts.
NEXT UP: ISU INVADES SCOTTRADE CENTER FOR MVC TOURNEY
Illinois State will depart for St. Louis Wednesday (March 5) for the 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The Redbirds, who will enter the tournament as either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed, will play its first game Friday (March 7) night after receiving a bye in the opening round as a top-six seed. The Redbirds have not advanced past the quarterfinal round of the Valley Tournament since 2002. No. 7 ISU dropped a 68-65 first-round decision to 10th-seeded Indiana State at the Scottrade Center last season.
CHASING A SECOND-PLACE FINISH
Illinois State's 68-54 win over host Creighton last Wednesday allowed the Redbirds to hold onto a one-game lead over third-place Southern Illinois (17-12, 11-6 MVC). If the Redbirds defeat the Salukis tonight, ISU will garner the No. 2 seed in next week's (March 6-9) State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. With a loss, ISU would be the third seed. The `Birds were eliminated from regular season Valley championship contention after nationally-ranked Drake clinched the outright title with a 65-55 win at UNI Feb. 16. 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).
INJURY UPDATE: JOHNSON OUT INDEFINITELY AFTER TONSILLECTOMY
Illinois State senior guard Dom Johnson, who has sat out the past four games due to persistent throat and neck infections, is out indefinitely, and underwent surgery to have his tonsils removed at BroMenn Regional Medical Center Feb. 21. Johnson underwent a surgical procedure Feb. 19 to treat ongoing inflammation in his throat and neck, and due to continuing discomfort, a tonsillectomy was scheduled. Johnson has started all 25 games he has played in this season. The team leader in minutes (31.2 mpg), Johnson is averaging 9.2 points and 3.4 assists per game. The Bell City, Mo., native is shooting 45.3 percent from the field, including a 36.8 percent mark from three-point range. Johnson is also the Redbirds' second-best free-throw shooter, at 81.1 percent.
WITHOUT DOM ...
Despite missing the services of Dom Johnson, the Redbirds have won three-of the last four games he has sat out. Emmanuel Holloway, who has replaced Johnson in the starting lineup, is averaging 8.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in the stretch, while Alex Rubin has played an average of 7.5 minutes per game over the last four. The Redbirds' lone loss without Johnson in the lineup was at Indiana State on Feb. 16, and ISU had a 13-point lead late in the first half of that game.
REVISITING JAN. 5 IN NORMAL
Illinois State led from wire-to-wire en route to an 56-47 win over the Salukis on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena Jan. 5. The Redbirds built as large as a 23-point lead in the first half, behind a dominating defensive performance. ISU held SIU to an 18.2 percent first-half shooting mark and just 13 points. The Salukis outscored the Redbirds 34-25 in the second stanza, but ISU never let them get closer than seven points, and snapped an 11-game losing streak against SIU. Levi Dyer led ISU with 14 points on four three-point field goals, and Osiris Eldridge added 13 points. The Redbirds held advantages in the paint (22-14), off turnovers (17-6) and ISU's bench outscored SIU's, 31-8.
SWEEP OVER THE SALUKIS? NOT IN THIS DECADE
Illinois State will be looking to sweep the regular season series against Southern Illinois for the first time since the 1997-98 NCAA Tournament season, when the Redbirds won both of the regular season meetings, and eliminated the Salukis from the MVC Tournament quarterfinals. Since then, SIU has won 15 of the last 20 meetings, including six in a row in Carbondale.
JANKOVICH IN ELITE COMPANY
Illinois State secured its 21st win of the season Wednesday against Creighton, sweeping the season series against the Bluejays. Tim Jankovich's 21 wins this season marks the most single-season wins for a first-year coach in program history. Gene Smithson (1975-76) and Bob Donewald (1978-79) each won 20 games in their respective first seasons at the helm of the Redbirds.
MORE ON 20-WIN CAMPAIGNS AT ISU
Illinois State picked up its 20th win of the season in Sunday's 54-46 victory over Wright State in the O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters game. The Redbirds' last 20-win campaign came in the 2000-01 season, when ISU went 21-9 (12-6 MVC) and advanced to the NIT. Dating back to the 1979-80 season, the Redbirds have tallied 20 or more wins nine times, and reached the postseason in each season. Those campaigns have included five trips to the NCAA Tournament, and four NIT appearances.
THE ODZIC-MULLINS LINK
Illinois State sophomore guard Sead Odzic and Southern Illinois junior guard Bryan Mullins played two years of AAU summer basketball together with the Illinois Wolves during their high school years. The two have remained close friends throughout college, and will be competing against each other for the second time Saturday. Odzic, who was forced to sit out the first semester due to NCAA transfer rules, made his Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena debut against SIU Jan. 5, checking in at the 14:35 mark of the first half.
SHOWCASING THE STATE
Between Illinois State and Southern Illinois, there are a combined 10 Illinois natives on Saturday's respective rosters. The Salukis have seven players that hail from the state of Illinois, while the Redbirds currently have three Illinois natives on their roster.
FOR VALLEY FINALES
Since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in the 1981-82 season, Illinois State has a 17-9 record in league regular league season finales. The Redbirds have played Southern Illinois in four of those contests, with the Salukis holding a 3-1 advantage. ISU defeated host SIU in the 1988-89 MVC finale, 83-82.
TRENDS IN CURRENT THREE-GAME WINNING STREAK
Illinois State has won three-consecutive games, its longest winning streak since rolling off nine-consecutive wins between Dec. 8, 2007 and Jan. 16, 2008. The Redbirds have held their last three opponents to an average of just 49.0 points per game, and out-rebounded those foes, 114-73. Anthony Slack has stepped up his scoring and rebounding in the stretch, averaging 10.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game, more than six rebounds (6.3) above his season average.
A SENIOR NIGHT TO REMEMBER
Illinois State's senior trio of Levi Dyer, Boo Richardson and Anthony Slack combined for 41 points, 23 rebounds and nine assists against Creighton on Senior Day Wednesday at Redbird Arena. Dyer scored 13 points and had two assists; Richardson chipped in 13 points and dished out seven assists against zero turnovers, and Slack had a double-double with 15 points and a career-high 20 rebounds.
20 REBOUNDS AT ISU -- GO BACK 30 YEARS
Redbird fans need to go back three decades to witness a comparable performance to that of Anthony Slack's 20-rebound effort against Creighton in Wednesday's night's home finale. Slack's 20 boards marked the first 20-rebound game at ISU since Del Yarbrough grabbed 20 caroms against Northern Illinois, Dec. 22, 1978.
DYER BREAKS OUT
When Levi Dyer converted ISU's first points of the game with his three-pointer at 19:14 of the first half Wednesday, he started a scoring flurry that ended in 13 points, his first double-digit scoring output since contributing 14 points against Southern Illinois Jan. 5. Dyer, a member of the Valley's Most Improved team last season, registered 19 double-digit scoring efforts in 2006-07, including eight with 20 or more points.
PEAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME
Illinois State has out-rebounded each of its last three opponents by an average of nearly 14 (13.6) caroms per game, including Wednesday's convincing 45-24 margin over Creighton. It marks just the second time this season that the Redbirds have out-rebounded three-consecutive opponents, also accomplishing the feat against Bradley (Jan. 23), Indiana State (Jan. 27) and UNI (Jan. 30).
GET THAT OUTTA' HERE!
Illinois State had five blocks against Creighton Wednesday, pushing its team total to 100 blocks for the third-consecutive season. Prior to the 2005-06 campaign, the Redbirds hadn't recorded 100 or blocks in a season since the 1998-99 season. Anthony Slack's 41 blocks lead ISU and rank second in the Valley, while Dinma Odiakosa ranks second on the Redbird roster with 20 blocks this season.
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 ranks second the Valley in scoring with 16.0 points per game, and is the league's 14th-leading rebounder, at 5.5 rebounds per contest. He is also shooting 47.6 percent from the field, the eighth-best mark in the MVC this season. Eldridge's 1.29 steals per game rank 14th overall. In conference play, his 2.75 made three-point field goals per game rank second in the league. Eldridge has 24 double-digit scoring efforts this season, including 21 in the last 24 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.
"PRESSURE BUSTS PIPES"
So goes the phrase coined by Illinois State junior guard Emmanuel Holloway and his teammates. The Redbirds' defensive pressure, which was especially evident early in the Missouri Valley Conference season, has made a strong return in the past three games. Creighton was held to 41.2 percent shooting Wednesday; Wright State shot just 40 percent, and Evansville was held to 42 percent (.419) from the field. ISU is 15-1 this season when holding its opponent to a 42 percent or lower field goal percentage.
60 THE BAROMETER?
Illinois State allowed just 54 points against Creighton Wednesday, marking the 13th time the Redbirds have held their opponent to less than 60 points. The Redbirds are 13-0 in those contests, capturing wins by more than 14 points per game (14.4).
MOVIN' ON UP IN SCORING DEFENSE
Illinois State has held its last two of its last three opponents under 50 points, with Wright State scoring 46 Sunday at Redbird Arena, and host Evansville scoring just 47 points at Roberts Stadium last Wednesday. It is the second time ISU has held back-to-back opponents under 50 points. The shutdown efforts moved the Redbirds from fourth into first in the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring defense, at 59.8 points per game.
PERCENT AND PROBABILITY
So far this season, when Anthony Slack 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. Slack is making 69.6 percent of his field goals this season, which leads the Missouri Valley Conference.
MILESTONES WITHIN REACH
Dinma Odiakosa, Boo Richardson and Brandon Sampay enter Saturday's game within reach of significant single-season and career milestones. Odiakosa is just four points away from scoring his 200th point of the season, and has 197 career rebounds, just three caroms away from equaling 200 for his one-plus year career. Richardson has 497 career points, and is only three points away from becoming the fourth active player to score 500 career points. Sampay has 98 points on the season, just two away from 100. Notably, Osiris Eldridge's six rebounds Wednesday against Creighton gave him 300 career boards.
WIN-LOSS ANALYSIS
In Illinois State's 21 wins, the Redbirds have averaged 67.7 points, 8.0 made three-point field goals, 16.6 assists and 7.4 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.
REBOUNDING TRIO
Anthony Slack (7.0 rpg), Dinma Odiakosa (5.6) and Osiris Eldridge (5.5) are all averaging more than five rebounds per game through 28 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.
HOW DO YOU WANT TO WIN?
Illinois State has proven that it can win in many ways through its 21 victories this season. The Redbirds have captured wins when scoring in the 40s (at Wichita State and at Evansville), 50s (Southern Illinois and Wright State) 60s (Cincinnati, Bowling Green, Ball State, Indiana State, twice against Missouri State and versus Creighton), 70s (Missouri-St. Louis, Illinois-Chicago, Evansville, versus Wichita State and Bradley), 80s (UNC-Wilmington, Chicago State and at Creighton) and 90s (Southeast Missouri State).
