March 20, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
One day after advancing to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) second round with a 61-57 win over seventh-seeded Utah State, Illinois State's men's basketball team (25-9) officially learned its date and time slot for the second round. The Redbirds will face third-seeded Dayton (22-10) Monday at 6 p.m. on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. The game will be televised live by ESPNU.
ISU held Utah State, the top field goal and free throw percentage shooting team in the nation, to just a 44.9 percent (22-of-49) effort from the field, and forced the Aggies into 18 turnovers, en route to a 61-57 home win Wednesday night in the tournament's opening round. Osiris Eldridge scored 14 points, and Dinma Odiakosa added 11 points and six rebounds.
Dayton senior Brian Roberts scored 21 points to lead the Flyers to a 66-57 win over No. 6 Cleveland State Wednesday at UD Arena. Dayton shot 23-of-42 (55 percent) from the floor, while holding the Vikings to just 28 percent. This season marks Dayton's 21st appearance in the postseason NIT and its first since 2001-02. The Flyers won the tournament in 1962 and 1968, and have finished runner-up five times.
The Redbirds are making their first appearance in the postseason NIT since the 2000-01 season. The game will mark the fourth meeting all-time between Illinois State and Dayton, and the first in the NIT. The Flyers lead the all-time series, 2-1, including a 75-62 win at Redbird Arena Dec. 6, 1993, in the last meeting between the two programs.
Illinois State is making its ninth appearance in the postseason NIT, where the Redbirds have an 8-8 all-time record. ISU's win over Utah State marked its first win in the NIT since 1996, when it advanced to the quarterfinals.
Season ticket holders will have to reserve their tickets prior to 5 p.m. Thursday. If season ticket holders filled out a reservation form at the end of Wednesday night's game, their tickets will be available for pick up after 2 p.m. Thursday.
Single-game tickets will go on sale in the Redbird Arena Ticket Office Thursday beginning at noon. The Redbird Arena Ticket Office may be reached by phone at (309) 438-8000. Lower-bowl seats will be sold for $14; upper-bowl seats will cost $10; and student admission will cost $4.
The Redbird Club (TRC) members are reminded to hold on to their parking passes from the regular season. Parking arrangements surrounding Redbird Arena will be the same as during the regular season.
