March 23, 2008
Illinois State Second Round NIT Game Notes 
DON'T MISS THIS!
A win over Dayton Monday would secure Illinois State's third berth in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) quarterfinals in eight previous appearances in the tournament. The Redbirds advanced to the quarterfinals in New York City 1977, and also in 1996.
STORYLINES
► Monday's contest is Illinois State's 35th game of the season, marking the most single-season games in the program's 110-year history.
► Tonight's game represents the fourth all-time meeting, and the first since Dec. 6, 1993, between Illinois State and Dayton. The Flyers lead the series, 2-1.
► Illinois State is 16-1 on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena this season, with its only loss being a three-point decision (73-70) versus nationally-ranked Drake Feb. 5. The Redbirds have held their visiting opponents to just 56.2 points per game.
► Illinois State's 25 wins this season are a school-record tying mark. With a win over Dayton Monday, ISU would secure its 26th win, which would stand alone as the most single-season wins in program history.
► The Redbirds are playing multiple home National Invitation Tournament (NIT) games in the same season for the first time in school history. Illinois State hosted NIT contests in 1980, 1987, 1995 and 1996, but never held more than one home game in any single tournament.
► ISU is 12-4 in non-conference games this season, including an 8-0 mark in non-conference home contests.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON
► The University of Dayton, a Roman Catholic institution, is located in Dayton, Ohio, and has a total enrollment of 6,800. The Flyers are a NCAA Division I affiliate, and are members of the Atlantic-10 Conference.
► The Flyers' home facility is the University of Dayton Arena, which has a total capacity of 13,226.
► Head coach Brian Gregory (Oakland, 90), a disciple of Michigan State head coach Tim Izzo, is in his fifth year as the head coach of Dayton, his only Division I head coaching stop. Gregory is assisted by Billy Schmidt, Anthony Solomon and Jon Borovich. Gregory has led the Flyers to back-to-back 20-win seasons, and was named the 2005 Atlantic-10 Coach of the Year by CBSSportsline.com.
► Dayton has made 34 postseason appearances with six NCAA Sweet 16 berths.
► The Flyers are 6-6 on the road this season, with a 3-1 road mark against non-conference foes.
SCOUTING THE FLYERS
Dayton, which defeated visiting Cleveland State 66-57 in Wednesday's NIT first round, enters Monday's contest with a 22-10 record, including an 8-8 mark in the Atlantic-10. The Flyers had their regular season end with a quarterfinal loss to Xavier in the A-10 Tournament. Dayton, winners of five of the last six games, defeated six teams that were included in the 2008 NCAA Tournament field - Louisville, Coppin State, American, Pittsburgh, Temple and Saint Joseph's. The Flyers are led by senior guard Brian Roberts, a first-team A-10 selection and first team National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) first-team all-district honoree. Roberts leads Dayton's offensive attack, averaging 18.5 points per game, while also leading the Flyers with 116 assists. Marcus Johnson is also averaging double digits in scoring, contributing 10.2 points and a team-high 5.3 rebounds per game.
SCOUTING THE REDBIRDS
Illinois State, under the leadership of first-year head coach Tim Jankovich, has won seven-of the last eight games heading into the second round of the NIT. The Redbirds garnered the No. 2 seed in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, finishing two games behind regular-season champion Drake, and two games ahead of Southern Illinois. Illinois State returns nine letterwinners, including four starters, from a 2006-07 team that went 15-16 overall (6-12 MVC) and tied for seventh in the league standings. Sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge was the runner-up for the Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year, and averages 16.0 points per game, including a league-leading 17.1 points per conference contest. Anthony Slack, an honorable mention all-Valley selection and all-defensive team honoree, is averaging 9.6 points to go along with 6.9 rebounds per game. Boo Richardson, who joined Slack on the All-Defensive Team, has a team-leading 125 assists. The Redbirds rank 47th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.15), are 31st in field goal percentage defense (.405) and rank 11th in the nation in scoring defense (59.4).
NIT NEWS AND NOTES
Against Dayton, the Redbirds will be making their first appearance in the second round of the NIT since the 1996 season, when ISU advanced to the quarterfinals. The game will mark the fourth meeting all-time between Illinois State and the Flyers, and the first in the NIT. Dayton leads the all-time series, 2-1. Illinois State is making its ninth appearance in the postseason NIT, where the Redbirds have an 8-8 all-time record. ISU also made NIT appearances in 1977, 1978, 1980, 1987, 1988, 1995, 1996 and 2001.
SECOND-ROUND NIT NOTABLES
Illinois State has a 2-3 record in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament ... in 1977 (ISU's first appearance in the NIT), the Redbirds dropped a 91-90 overtime decision against Houston (the then-quarterfinals) in New York City after defeating Creighton (65-58) in the opening round ... in 1980, ISU fell to in-state rival Illinois, 75-65, after defeating West Texas State (80-63) in the first round at Normal, Ill. ... seven years later (1987), the Redbirds outlasted host Cleveland State, 79-77, after upending visiting Akron, 79-72, in the first round ... in 1995, Illinois State fell at home against Washington State (83-80) after advancing with an 89-83 overtime win over host Utah State in the opening round ... one year later, in 1996, the Redbirds advanced to the quarterfinals after securing a 77-62 win over host Wisconsin in the second round of the NIT.
AGAINST THE A-10
As mentioned, Dayton leads the all-time series against Illinois State, 2-1, contributing to the Redbirds' 9-11 record against current members of the Atlantic-10 Conference. Duquesne leads the all-time series against the Redbirds 2-0; ISU and LaSalle's all-time series is tied 1-1; St. Bonaventure claimed the only prior meeting against the Redbirds (0-1), and Illinois State owns a 7-5 all-time advantage against Saint Louis.
ATLANTIC-10 VS. MVC IN RPI
The Missouri Valley and Atlantic-10 Conferences were two of the highest ranked RPI conferences the entire season. The A-10 finished the regular and conference tournament season as the seventh-ranked RPI league, while the Valley was eighth. MVC teams were 4-3 against teams from the Atlantic-10 this season.
VALLEY POSTSEASON NOTABLES
For the fifth-straight year, eighth time in the past 10 years, and the 14th time in the league's history, the Valley has at least four postseason bids, with Drake claiming the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament West Regional, Illinois State, Creighton and Southern Illinois all garnering top-five seeds in the NIT, and Bradley accepting an invitation to the inaugural College Basketball Invitational (CBI) ... with Drake advancing to its first NCAA Tournament since joining the MVC, every Valley team has reached the NCAA Tournament since 1998 - only the ACC, Mountain West, Pac-10 and SEC have had every member qualify for the Big Dance in that span ... entering the tournament, MVC teams have a 3-2 record vs. MasterCard NIT foes ... since 1985, 62 Valley teams, including three this year, have posted 20 wins prior to "Selection Sunday" - 43 have reached the NCAAs, and another 18 were in the NIT ... the Valley has a combined 78-40 (.661) record in non-conference play this season - that ranks fifth-best in the last 25 years ... according to the Collegiate Basketball News, the MVC is No. 8 in the RPI among conferences ... this year, the MVC has four in the Top 100 of the RPI.
SENIORS CHASING MILESTONES
Seniors Anthony Slack and Dom Johnson enter Monday's game within reach of significant career milestones. Slack has 598 career points and 397 career rebounds, placing him just two points and three caroms away from reaching 600 points and 400 rebounds, respectively. Johnson has 493 points, and is just seven points away from scoring his 500th career point. Both Slack and Johnson have played just two years at ISU.
ISU'S NIT RECORD HOLDERS
Tarise Bryson's 38 points against host Purdue (March 14, 2001) are the most for an ISU player in an NIT game ... Derrick Sanders (March 18, 1987 at LaSalle) and Jeff Wilkins (March 14, 1977) hold the all-time NIT made field goals record with 12 ... On March 16, 1987 at Cleveland State, Sanders converted 11-of-13 field goals for an all-time best 84.6 field goal percentage ... Bryson's 12 made free throws against the Boilermakers are an ISU-best mark in an NIT contest ... Maurice Trotter went 11-of-11 from the free throw line against Utah State (March 16, 1995), capturing ISU's highest free throw percentage in a NIT game ... Dan Muller (March 13, 1996 vs. Mount St. Mary's) and Del Yarbrough (March 5, 1980 vs. West Texas A&M) share the Redbirds' single NIT-game rebounding record with 13 caroms ... Derrick Mayes dished out an ISU NIT record 13 assists against Houston on March 14, 1977 ... Wilkins (March 14, 1977 vs. Houston) and Raynard Malaine (March 5, 1980 vs. West Texas A&M) share the 28-year old blocked shots record with four terminations apiece ... Ron Jones' five steals on March 5, 1980 vs. West Texas A&M are an ISU NIT single-game record.
LAST GAME RECAP
Sophomore Osiris Eldridge scored a team-high 14 points and sophomore Dinma Odiakosa added 11 points, as the Illinois State men's basketball team defeated Utah State, 61-57, in the first round of the 2008 MasterCard National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Wednesday night on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. With the win, the Redbirds (25-9) moved to 16-1 when playing at home this season, and clinched their 12th non-conference win of 2007-08. The Redbirds, who made their first NIT appearance since 2000-01, enjoyed solid play from seniors Anthony Slack and Boo Richardson, who each scored eight points apiece. For the 18th time this season, ISU held its opponent to less than 60 points, and improved to 18-0 in those contests.
RPI TIDBITS
Illinois State, the 33rd-ranked Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) team according to RPIRatings.com, enters the second round of the NIT with two wins against the current top-50 RPI teams, and has five total wins versus the top-100. The Redbirds' 70th-ranked schedule included seven games against teams in the top-50, and 10 tilts versus the top-100 RPI teams. ISU also has five wins against teams that were in the 2007 NCAA Tournament field.
REDBIRDS VS. FLYERS IN THE RPI
Illinois State and Dayton both had top-35 RPIs at the conclusion of the conference tournament season, but each was left out of the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday. The Flyers enter Monday's game with a No. 32 RPI, while Illinois State is directly behind, ranking 33rd overall.
RPI: 40, AND MAKE NCAA
Since 1990-91, 685 out of a total 713 eligible teams between No. 1 through No. 40 have made the NCAA Tournament. Only 14 eligible teams (six from The Valley) ranked 40 and better in the past nine years have not made the NCAA tournament, including Dayton and Illinois State in 2008. Missouri State (at No. 21 in 2006) was the first team 29 or better not selected.
60 THE BAROMETER?
llinois State has held an opponent under 60 points in seven of the last eight games. The Redbirds have held their opponent to less than 60 points 18 times this season, and are 18-0 in those contests. Notably, 11 of ISU's wins have come when holding the opposition to less than 50 points.
JANKOVICH NOT ALONE
Tim Jankovich is 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 is joined by first-year head coaches Keno Davis (Drake), Kevin McKenna (Indiana State), Marty Simmons (Evansville) and Greg Marshall (Wichita State).
JANKOVICH IN ELITE COMPANY
Illinois State secured its 25th win of the season in the NIT first round against seventh-seeded Utah State. Tim Jankovich's 25 wins this season mark 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.
GETTING TO THE FIVE-MINUTE MARK
Illinois State has been particularly successful this season when closing out the second half on a strong surge. The Redbirds are 22-2 when leading with 5:00 remaining in the second half.
FINISHING STRONG
Illinois State may be playing its best basketball of the season as it enters the second-round of the 2008 MasterCard NIT. The Redbirds have won nine of their last 11 games, and won six games in the month of February for the first time since the 2000-01 season. ISU is 4-1 in the month of March.
THREE REDBIRDS GARNER ALL-MVC PLAUDITS
One year after being tabbed the league's Freshman of the Year, sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge chalked up another honor, as he was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference First-Team by the league coaches, media and sports information directors. Eldridge, who led the second-seeded Redbirds to their best finish in the Valley standings since the 1997-98 season, received 61 Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year votes, 26 tallies behind Drake's Adam Emmenecker, who earned the league's top individual honor. In addition to Eldridge earning first-team plaudits, senior forward Anthony Slack was named to the honorable mention and all-defensive teams. Senior classmate and former junior college teammate Boo Richardson was also named to the all-defensive squad.
HOLLOWAY NAMED TO VALLEY'S ALL-BENCH TEAM
One day after three of his teammates garnered All-Missouri Valley Conference recognition, junior guard Emmanuel Holloway secured another individual honor for the Illinois State men's basketball team, as he was named to the league's "All-Bench Team," as announced by the conference office. The team was voted on by the league's newspaper beat writers. Holloway has appeared in all 33 games this season, recording 10 starts, including all three games in the MVC Tournament.
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 67.0 percent of his field goals this season, which leads the Missouri Valley Conference.
AN IMPRESSIVE TURNAROUND
Illinois State's 25 wins are nine more than it tallied in the entire 2006-07 season (15), and the Redbirds' 13 wins in Valley play eclipses their league victory total from last season by seven (6). ISU equaled both its 15th win of the season, and its seventh Valley victory Jan. 27 against Indiana State. Illinois State's final three games in the non-conference slate, and the first six games in Valley play, was also an impressive stretch, when the Redbirds rolled off nine-consecutive wins, their longest winning streak since the 1982-83 season.
20-WIN CAMPAIGNS AT ISU
Illinois State picked up its 20th win of the season against Wright State (54-46) in the O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters game Feb. 24. 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.
BRING OUT THE BROOMS
For the first time since the 2000-01 campaign, Illinois State tallied regular-season sweeps over five Missouri Valley Conference opponents this season, recording two wins over Creighton, Wichita State, Southern Illinois, Evansville and Missouri State. The 2000-01 Redbirds, who advanced to the postseason NIT, swept MSU, SIU, Evansville, WSU and Northern Iowa.
HOME SWEET HOME
Illinois State is 16-1 on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena this season, marking the most single-season wins for the Redbirds at the facility since its opening in 1989. ISU has completed a one-loss home campaign three times in the history of Redbird Arena (1993-94, 1997-98 and 2001-02), but went 11-1 in each of those seasons. The Redbirds' 16 regular season home games was the most since the 1998-99 team played 16 contests at Redbird Arena. ISU has completed three recorded undefeated home slates in its history (1970-71, 1974-75 and 1977-78), but all occured at Horton Field House.
