Junior guard Tyrone Lewis was named preseason second-team All-MAAC.
ANYTHING BUT BUSTERS
For the fourth time in the seven-year history of the event, Illinois State has been selected to participate in the ESPNU BracketBusters Series. The Redbirds will travel to Niagara Friday, and face the Purple Eagles on ESPN2. ISU is 3-0 in BracketBuster games, which are officially a part of the series when selected for the television package. The Redbirds also boast an 11-1 record in games established by the BracketBusters concept, which includes the return games. The 11 victories are the most by any team that has participated in the made-for-TV event.
NON-CON SUCCESS
Since his arrival at Illinois State, head coach Tim Jankovich and the Redbirds are 21-4 (.840) in non-conference games, including an 11-0 mark this season.
IN-SEASON MEDIA CONFERENCES
ISU Athletics Media Relations will host seven in-season media conferences during the 2008-09 season. Each conference will feature head coach Tim Jankovich and a member of the ISU basketball team. The media conferences will start at 1 p.m., and be held in the Redbird Arena Media Room, which is just off the southwest loading dock. The remaining scheduled dates are: Feb. 23 and March 3.
VALLEY TELECONFERENCES
Teleconferences with The Valley head coaches will be conducted each Tuesday throughout the season. The first teleconference is slated for Dec. 16, followed by every Tuesday from Jan. 6 to March 3. The conferences begin at 10 a.m. CT. To participate in the conference calls, call 913.981.5517. Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich will participate at 10:30 a.m.
PROTECTING THE BALL
One of the keys to the three-straight wins by Illinois State is how the Redbirds have taken care of the ball. The Redbirds only committed 28 turnovers in the three games combined, which was a vast improvement since ISU committed a combined 38 turnovers in the previous two games, including double-digit turnover totals in the first half of each of those two games.
AN ALL-AROUND GAME
With six rebounds against Wichita State Wednesday night, Osiris Eldridge eclipsed a trio of milestones with 1,000 career points, 500 career rebounds and 100 career steals. In doing so, Eldridge became the sixth Redbird all-time to accomplish the feat, joining Tony Holifield, Rick Lamb, Dan Muller, Mike VandeGarde and LeRoy Watkins.
ROAD REVERSAL
Illinois State began its season by winning its first four road games, but quickly evened that mark by losing its next four games away from Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. With a victory at Niagara, the Redbirds would find themselves with four-straight road victories for the second time this season.
VALLEY CHAMPS?
In the history of the conference, 17 teams have started a season 13-0 or better, including ISU's 14-0 start this season, and 14 of those teams went on to win the Valley championship. ISU has two league games left and a one-game deficit to overcome to not become the third to do so. Prior to this season, only Bradley in 1951 and Indiana State in 1978 did not win the championship after starting the season with 13-plus wins.
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
Illinois State's game at Niagara will mark only the eighth game played in the state of New York by the Redbirds since becoming an NCAA Division I program (1970-present). The Redbirds sport a 3-4 record in games played in the Empire State, but the Redbirds have only played in New York once in the last 28 years. On Nov. 25, 2006, the Redbirds won at St. John's, 78-65.
BOARDING SCHOOL
In Illinois State's three-game win streak, the Redbirds have been taking their opponents to school on rebounds. In the three games combined, ISU owns a +7.4 rebounding edge, while both Dinma Odiakosa and Brandon Sampay are averaging eight rebounds per game over the three-game span.
HIGH-PERCENTAGE POSTS
Not only are Dinma Odiakosa and Brandon Sampay tearing it up on the boards during the Redbirds' three-game winning streak, but the Illinois State frontcourt has been efficient shooting the basketball. Combined over three games, Odiakosa and Sampay are shooting 21-for-28 (.750) from the field, while each are averaging eight points per game or more.
THREECOLA!
The Redbirds only need to make two more three-pointers this season to post the second-most made three-pointers in a single season. Illinois State currently has 232 made threes on the year, while the school record, set last season, is 255.
HOLLOWAY'S HELPING HAND
During the three-game win streak, senior Emmanuel Holloway leads the team with 14 assists. He has also only committed seven turnovers during that time to sport a team-best 2.00 assist-to-turnover ratio.
SQUEEZE THE THREES
That's exactly what the Redbird defense has been doing as of late. In the last three games, Illinois State opponents have combined to make 11 three-point baskets, while shooting 22 percent from beyond the arch on 11-for-50 shooting.
CINCO DE MAKO
Illinois State has made five or more three-point field goals in 26 of the 27 games this season, including the first 22 games of the season. The streak was broken at Southern Illinois Feb. 4, when the Redbirds made only three treys in Carbondale, Ill.
JANKOVICH KNOWS NIAGARA
Tonight's game will mark the second time Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich has faced Niagara in the last three seasons, but his first with the Redbirds. In 2007, Jankovich, then the top assistant for Bill Self at Kansas, faced Niagara in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the United Center in Chicago. Kansas and Jankovich handed the Purple Eagles a 107-67 loss.
THE BENCHMARK
Until the recent four-game streak, the Illinois State bench had only outscored its opponents' reserves seven times all season. However, in the last four games, not only has the Redbird bench scored in double-figures, but it has outscored the opponents' counterpart.
A 20-GAUGE
By recording 20 victories on the season with a 70-68 win at Evansville, Illinois State posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons. It also marked the 15th season in the NCAA Division I-era (1970-present), in which ISU won 20 games in a single season.
O, SHALL HE STEAL
It has been an unofficial commandment of Illinois State basketball since his arrival, and Osiris Eldridge is back at it again this year. Eldridge leads the Redbirds with 44 steals this season and now has 123 in his ISU career, which ranks tied for No. 11 in the Redbird record books.
ENFORCING A 60-POINT LIMIT
After holding opponents to under 60 points 19 times last season, Illinois State has limited foes to less than 60 points nine times this season, including each of the last two games. Over the last two campaigns, ISU is 25-3 when holding its opponents to under 60 points per game.
A CLOSER LOOK
Sure, Illinois State has five defeats, but they didn't occur by much. Especially when the largest margin of defeat was six points, four of the losses have occurred on the road and two in overtime. In the combined losses, the Redbirds were defeated by a total of 21 points.
THE TRADITION CONTINUES
Illinois State secured itself another winning season in men's basketball. In the 38 years of being an NCAA Division I program, the Redbirds have had 31 winning seasons.
LORDY, LORDY LOOKS WHO'S GOT 40
With the win over Drake earlier in the season, Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich captured his 40th victory with the Redbirds. As a result, Jankovich became the fastest ISU men's basketball coach to win 40 games for the Redbirds. Jankovich won his 40th game in 52 contests, while former head coach Gene Smithson won his 40th game at ISU in his 53rd try. Jankovich now boasts a 47-15 record at ISU.
BOARDED UP
At Evansville, Illinois State grabbed 12 offensive rebounds. It marked the 17th game this season where the Redbirds have pulled down double-digit offensive rebounds and the fourth-straight. On the season, ISU is averaging 11.2 offensive rebounds per game. Junior Dinma Odiakosa leads the team with 80 offensive boards.
TWENTYSOMETHING
For the first time since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 1982, Illinois State posted back-to-back 20-plus-point wins over league foes. ISU downed Evansville, 80-50, before topping Creighton, 86-64. The Redbirds posted another 20-point win at Drake, Feb. 15, with a 67-45 victory, which gave the Redbirds their third 20-point win over a Valley opponent in the same season, for the first time since 1997-98.
293-STRAIGHT GAMES WITH A TREY
After sinking nine treys against Wichita State, Illinois State enters tonight's game at Niagara with at least one made three in 293-straight games. The last time ISU didn't sink a trey was an 82-43 loss at Creighton Dec. 12, 1999.
LET THE RECORD SHOW
Illinois State began the season with a 14-0 record, the best start in school history. The previous mark was set in 1977-78, when the Redbirds won their first 12 games to open the campaign. Prior to ISU's first loss, the Redbirds were one of only four teams in all of NCAA Division I basketball to be unbeaten.
CREATING THE SECOND CHANCE
Junior Dinma Odiakosa is all about giving his teammates a second chance, and with 80 offensive boards, he is the top offensive rebounder in the Valley. Odiakosa has accumulated 171 offensive rebounds in his three seasons at Illinois State and his offensive boards have accounted for 40 percent of his total rebounds. This year, Odiakosa leads the Redbirds in total rebounding with 7.3 boards per game.
RARE COMPANY
After being named the Valley's Preseason Player of the Year, junior Osiris Eldridge appears to have an inside track to join a select group. Eldridge won the conference's freshman of the year award in 2007. If he ends his Illinois State career with the Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year Award, which he finished runner-up for last season, Eldridge would become only the second player in league history to win both the freshman of the year and player of the year award, joining Southern Illinois' Ashraf Amaya.
STEPPING UP FOR CHARITY
Illinois State set a school standard at Southern Illinois. The five Redbird starters combined to shoot 19-for-19 from the free throw line, accounting for the entire team's attempts. As a result, ISU shot 1.000 percent from the line and broke the old mark of 16-for-16 at Utah State March 16, 1995, in a first-round National Invitation Tournament game.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
Despite starting a four-guard lineup in 26-of-27 games, Illinois State has won the rebounding battle in 21 games this season and tied in one. On the year, the Redbirds own a +5.5 rebounding margin.
JOINING THE CLUB
With his 18 points at Central Michigan, Osiris Eldridge became the 39th member of ISU's 1,000-point club. Eldridge, who is the first addition to the 1,000-point club since 2005, currently has 1,200 career points.
STATUE OF ASPIRATIONS
During halftime of Illinois State's game against Southern Illinois (Jan. 24), the Redbird Athletics Department unveiled plans to have a statue erected to honor the nation's first African-American NCAA Division I head basketball coach, Will Robinson, and his most famous player, Doug Collins, a three-time All-American at Illinois State. The piece, which will be installed at the north entrance of Redbird Arena sometime in the summer 2009, is being sculpted by Lou Cella, a 1985 graduate of ISU. Robinson was named the Redbirds' head coach Feb. 27, 1970, and posted a 78-51 seasons in five seasons. He passed away at the age of 96, April 28, 2008.
JANKOVICH'S ENCORE
Head coach Tim Jankovich's first season at Illinois State was a memorable one, not only for him, but for the program. With a 25-10 record, Jankovich guided the Redbirds to a school-record-tying 25 wins and he posted the most single-season wins for a first-year coach in program history. Currently he holds a 75.8 percent winning percentage (47-15) at Illinois State, which ranks fourth on the all-time coaching ledger in ISU's 111-year history.
WHAT'S A UTE?
Illinois State will find out first hand next season, when the Redbirds travel to Utah for the first-ever meeting between the two schools, Dec. 19, 2009, as part of the inaugural Missouri Valley-Mountain West Challenge Series. The game between ISU and Utah will be one of nine matchups between the two leagues.
FOUR SIGN FOR 2009 CLASS
Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich announced the signing of four incoming freshmen during the early signing period. The Redbirds added Justin Clark (guard, 6-4, 176) and Jon Ekey (forward, 6-7, 190), teammates from Chrisman High School in Independence, Mo. ISU also added a pair of Chicago natives with Terrance Johnson (guard, 6-0, 170) from North Lawndale College Prep and Zeke Upshaw (guard, 6-6, 195) of University High School.
