Nov. 21, 2011
Nov. 20, 2011
Illinois State continues its run for the 2011 Cancun Challenge Championship by taking on Rutgers Tuesday night at 6 p.m. CT at the Moon Palace Resort in Cancun, Mexico. The game is being televised on CBS Sports Network.
QUICK HITS ABOUT #REDBIRDHOOPS
- Junior Jackie Carmichael enters this game averaging a double-double on the season. Carmichael is posting 11.0 points and 10.3 rebounds per game on the campaign.
- Illinois State has won 14-straight regular-season tournament games. The Redbirds' last defeat in a regular-season tournament was a 65-59 loss to Kent State in the 2007 Chicago Invitational Challenge.
- Illinois State had five players score in double figures in its last outing, a 78-70 win over Lipscomb. It marked the first time since Feb. 13, 2010, that the Redbirds had five players reach double digits, when ISU beat Creighton, 67-63.
- Junior Tyler Brown returned to the Illinois State bench, after serving a one-game suspension, and fired in a team-high 19 points. His 19 points were powered by five made three-pointers, becoming the first Redbird to sink five threes in a game since Nov. 17, 2010 when Justin Clark dropped six against Tennessee State.
- Freshman point guard Nic Moore paces the Redbirds with a team-best 12 assists on the season, plus he owns a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- Illinois State's 78 points against Lipscomb Saturday night were the most by the Redbirds in the 13 games, dating back to last season.
- Illinois State is in its 42nd season as a NCAA Division I program, and during that time, the Redbirds have only had eight losing seasons.
- Jankovich is the first coach in league history to lead his team to back-to-back Valley (@MVCSports) Tournament title games in his first two seasons.
- The Redbirds have made 17 postseason appearances, including NIT berths in three of the last four seasons.
- Head coach Tim Jankovich owns a 41-15 record (.732) against non-conference opponents during his time with the Redbirds.
ABOUT THE RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS
- Rutgers is located in New Brunswick, N.J., and has an enrollment of 42,327. The Scarlet Knights compete in the BIG EAST.
- The Scarlet Knights return two starters from a team which finished 15-17 last season.
- Rutgers was projected to finish 15th, out of 16 teams, in the BIG EAST this season by the league head coaches.
A RECENT BEAST AGAINST THE BIG EAST
Illinois State has won its last two games against BIG EAST opponents and three of the last four. The Redbirds dropped Cincinnati, 62-52, on Doug Collins Court in Redbird Arena on Dec. 8, 2007, before winning 78-65 at St. John's on Nov. 25, 2007. The Redbirds are 11-30 against current members of the BIG EAST all-time, but 24 games (3-21) were against DePaul prior to the Blue Demons joining the league.
TITLE TOWN
Over the last three seasons, Illinois State has claimed four regular-season tournament titles and will look to add the 2011 Cancun Challenge crown this season. The Redbirds have won the 2010 Global Sports Roundball Classic, the 2009 Basketball Travellers Classic, the 2008 World Vision Invitational and the 2008 SMU Tipoff Classic.
MOORE TO COME
Freshman Nic Moore came off the bench and led the Redbirds in scoring with 13 points at Fresno State in his collegiate debut. The performance marked the first time an Illinois State freshman led the team in scoring in their first college game, since Nov. 15, 1998 when Victor Williams paced ISU with 19 points against Oakland. Coincidently, both games resulted in losses for Illinois State.
MOORE THAN SCORE
After posting double-digit points in his first two collegiate games, freshman Nic Moore showed he can do more than score and dished out a game-high six assists against Lipscomb on Saturday. With the six assists, Moore now has a team-best 12 on the season and is averaging 4.0 dimes per game.
BROTHERS IN FLIGHT
Even though Illinois State and Illinois might face each other in either the championship or third-place game, only 53 miles separate the two campuses so it only made sense for two schools to share a charter on the way to Cancun.
EKEY DOUBLES DOWN
For the first time in his career, sophomore Jon Ekey has posted double-digit points in back-to-back games. Ekey fired in 12 tallies against SIU Edwardsville in the first game of the 2011 Cancun Challenge, before following that effort up with an 11-point game against Lipscomb.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Junior Jackie Carmichael collected his sixth career double-double and his first of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds in only 19 minutes of play against SIUE. On the year, Carmichael is averaging 11 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. By keeping this pace, Carmichael would become the first Redbird to average a double-double over a season since Jeff Wilkins during the 1976-77 campaign. Wilkins, the father of current ISU player John Wilkins, averaged 21.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game that season.
SHOOT ... AND THEY SCORE
Through three games, shooting percentage is determining the Redbirds' fate. In the two wins, Illinois State outshot both of its opponents, while shooting a combined 46.9 percent from the field. In the loss, the 'Birds shot 30 percent.
DOWNTOWN Tyler Brown
Junior college transfer Tyler Brown became the first Redbird in over a year to sink five three-pointers in a game, when he posted a 5-for-10 effort from beyond the arc against Lipscomb. As a result, Brown notched a game-high 19 points, his first points in an Illinois State uniform, after going scoreless in the season-opener at Fresno State.
SCORING FROM SEVEN
In only three games, Illinois State has gotten double-digit scoring games from seven different players. Jackie Carmichael, Jon Ekey and Nic Moore each have two double-digit efforts on the season, while Anthony Cousin, John Wilkins, Tyler Brown and Johnny Hill have collected one on the year.
THE SWAT TEAM
Last season, Illinois State's Jon Ekey and Jackie Carmichael became the first set of Missouri Valley Conference teammates to finish the regular-season ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in blocked shots since the 1986-87 season. Ekey finished the year with 52 swats (1.7 bpg.), while Carmichael added 36 rejections (1.2 bpg.). Bradley's Donald Powell and Luke Jackson were the last pair of teammates to finish in the top-2 for blocked shots. Ekey also became the second Redbird to lead the Valley in blocked shots, joining Mike VandeGarde, who led the league with 1.52 blocks per game during the 1991-92 season. The duo has combined for six blocked shots in the first three games this season.
WILKINS FOR THREE ... OUI!
Junior John Wilkins returns as the Redbirds' most-prolific three-point shooter from a season ago. Wilkins led the team with 33 made three-pointers and also paced the Redbirds in three-point shooting percentage, sinking treys at a 37.1 percent clip. Wilkins is 3-for-7 from beyond the arc through two games this season.
CLIMBING TO THE TOP OF THE HILL
Freshman Johnny Hill is another Redbird newcomer who has made an impressive debut this season. Hill collected his first career double-digit scoring game against Lipscomb Saturday, tossing in 11 points in just 13 minutes of play. On the season, Hill is averaging 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, while is second on the team with 12 free throw attempts.
A HOUSE DIVIDED
The make-up of Illinois State's 2011-12 roster is pretty split - right down the middle in fact. The Redbirds return six players with game experience from last season, while welcoming six newcomers.
THE RIGHT HALF IS BACK
Even though the Redbirds only return six players from last season's team, they must be the right guys. The six returning players accounted for 52.7 percent of the scoring last season, and five of the players were among the team's top-seven scorers.
THE NEXT BEST THING
Illinois State has a pair of players this season who were runner-up for Mr. Basketball in their respective home state. Junior Anthony Cousin was runner-up for Mr. Basketball in Alaska in 2008, while in 2011, Nic Moore was runner-up for Mr. Basketball in Indiana.
THE GREAT WHITE NORTH
Illinois State got a jump on the 2011-12 season with a four-game tour to Canada in August. The Redbirds posted a 2-2 mark, while facing off against collegiate programs in Canada, as well as professional all-star teams. In addition to the four games, the Redbirds were also granted, per NCAA rules, 10 days of practice leading up to the trip.
MOORE TO COME
Illinois State's Nic Moore is probably the Redbirds' most highly-touted freshman since Osiris Eldridge wore the Redbird uniform in 2007. Multiple Internet sites have projected Moore as the Missouri Valley Conference's Freshman of the Year. Moore finished his prep career with 1,891 points and averaged 27.2 points per game as a senior. Over three games, Moore has scored double-digits twice and is average 8.3 points per game.
PLANTING A THRE
Freshman Jordan Threloff should be an inside presence for years to come and the 6-foot-10, 255-pound center is anxious to return to the court. After redshirting last season, Threloff gave the Illinois State coaching staff a taste of what the future holds with multiple double-digit scoring efforts during the team's four-game tour to Canada. Through three games, Threloff is averaging 3.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
A TRUE AMERICAN COUSIN
Junior guard Anthony Cousin knows what it's like to go above and beyond the call of duty. As a son of an Army sergeant, Cousin has lived in Kentucky, Virginia, Puerto Rico, Alaska, Connecticut, Kansas and now Illinois. His relocations around the United States has totaled 12,016 miles, before arriving at his lifelong goal of playing NCAA Division I basketball.
KEEPING WHAT'S OURS
In 14 of ISU's 19 losses last season, the Redbirds held a lead in each of those games. In eight of the defeats, Illinois State owned a lead during the second half. The Redbirds led by as many as four points in the season-opener at Fresno State, before falling 55-47.
THAT 70's SHOW
ISU's success during the Tim Jankovich-era has been pretty much based on 70 points. When the Redbirds score 70 or more points, Illinois State owns a 47-10 record (.825) in his four seasons. When ISU opponent's score less than 70 points, the Redbirds are 73-26 (.737) during that span.
TWENTY SOMETHING
ISU enters the season with four players on the roster who have scored at least 20 points in an NCAA Division I game. Jackie Carmichael has four 20-point efforts in his career and three this season, while Anthony Cousin and Jon Ekey have each posted one 20-point game. Trey Blue had a 20-point effort while playing at Fordham.
367-STRAIGHT GAMES WITH A TREY
Illinois State enters the Rutgers game with at least one made three in 367-straight games. The last time ISU didn't sink a trey was an 82-43 loss at Creighton, Dec. 12, 1999.
TWO GUARDS SIGN FOR 2012-13 SEASON
North Chicago High School point guard Aaron Simpson and Anthony Beane Jr., a product of Normal Community High School and the son of Illinois State assistant basketball coach Anthony Beane Sr., will continue their collegiate and basketball careers at Illinois State, after each signed National Letters of Intent (NLI) during the NCAA early signing period. Last season, Simpson averaged 22.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, while sinking 71 three-point field goals. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound senior also led North Chicago to a fourth-place finish at the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 3A State Tournament. Beane, who was named the 2011 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, started the last two seasons at NCHS and averaged 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game last year. He led the Ironmen to a fourth-place finish at the IHSA Class 4A State Tournament.
