Oct. 25, 2011
ST. LOUIS -
The Illinois State men's basketball team received 111 points and was projected to finish eighth in the 2012 Missouri Valley Conference standings according to the league's preseason poll, as compiled from votes by MVC head coaches, beat writers, radio play-by-play personalities and institutional communication directors.
Pollsters have accurately predicted the league's regular-season champion only 12 times out of 27 since 1985-86. This season, Creighton has been tabbed as the league favorite, garnering 29 first-place votes and 389 points overall. The Bluejays were followed by Wichita State (350 pts.), Indiana State (331 pts.) and Northern Iowa (245 pts.). Wichita State also received seven first-place votes, while Indiana State had four.
Evansville was picked to finish fifth overall, while Missouri State and Drake were selected for sixth and seventh, respectively. Illinois State finished ahead of Southern Illinois (90 pts.) and Bradley (75 pts.).
The eighth-place ranking in the league's preseason poll is the lowest in the Tim Jankovich-era. The last time the Redbirds were picked eighth or lower was prior to the 2006-07 season, when ISU was projected to finish ninth. Under then-head coach Porter Moser, the Redbirds finished in a tie for seventh place that season.
Since joining the Missouri Valley Conference prior to the 1981-82 season, the Redbirds have only been picked to finish eighth or lower in the preseason poll five times, including this season's projection. The only other time ISU was tabbed to finish eighth was prior to the 1991-92 season. That year, then-head coach Bob Bender and the Redbirds won the MVC regular-season title with a 14-4 conference record.
Junior Jackie Carmichael represented Illinois State at the annual Valley media day festivities at the Marriott in Union Station at St. Louis. However, there was not Redbird representation on the preseason all-league team, which was led by reigning Valley Larry Bird Player of the Year and the 2011 Valley Preseason Player of the Year Kyle Weems from Missouri State.
Illinois State will host its lone exhibition game Nov. 6 against Quincy on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena, before opening the season Friday, Nov. 11 at Fresno State.
Season tickets, single-game tickets and mini-pack ticket plans are available online at GoRedbirds.com and by calling the Illinois State Athletics Ticket Office at 309/438-8000.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
