NORMAL, Ill. – For the second-consecutive game, Illinois State is facing a team predicted to win its respective conference, as the Redbird men's basketball team hosts IPFW Monday at 6 p.m. on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
After playing three out-of-their-last four games on the road, the Redbirds begin a season-long three-game homestand which will conclude with ISU's Dec. 31 Missouri Valley Conference opener against Indiana State. ISU enters Monday's game with a 6-4 record after falling at Murray State Saturday afternoon. IPFW is also 6-4 after also losing Saturday to Valparaiso.
Picked to win the 2014-15 Summit League, the Mastodons are led by senior forward Steve Forbes who is averaging a team-best 15.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. His 56.8 percent field goal average ranks No. 40 nationally. Meanwhile, Illinois State's leading scorer - senior guard Daishon Knight - is averaging 15.4 points per game with eight double-digit performances this season, including five-straight.
THE SERIES:
Monday's game marks the second meeting between Illinois State and IPFW, with the Redbirds holding a 1-0 advantage by winning the only other meeting, 65-36, on Dec. 6, 2005, at Redbird Arena in Normal, Illinois. ISU holds a 76-51 all-time advantage versus current members of the Summit League. Out of the Summit League's nine teams, the Redbirds have faced Western Illinois more than any other (110 times).
WHAT'S AT STAKE?:
After establishing a dominant 14-3 record on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena last season, the Redbirds are striving to consistently defend their home court again in 2014-15. Illinois State is off to a 2-2 start at home. With a win over UT Martin (Dec. 17) in their last home contest, the Redbirds are aiming to establish their first home-court winning streak of the season, as ISU embarks on a season-long three-game homestand. IPFW is 2-3 on the road.
ILLINOIS STATE AT A GLANCE:
Dropped to 6-4 after falling at Murray State (Dec. 20) ... winners of three out-of-the-last four games ... three players have recorded double-doubles this season ... have only been outrebounded once this year ... ranks first in the Missouri Valley Conference with 4.3 blocks per game and second in the league with a +5.7 rebounding margin and 13.7 offensive rebounds per game ... earned two MVC Newcomer of the Week accolades this season ... finished as the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam runner-up (Nov. 21-24) ... selected to finish fifth in the MVC this year.
IPFW AT A GLANCE:
Picked to win the Summit League after finishing as the Summit League Tournament runner-up last season ... returning three of five starters and nine of 14 letterwinners from a squad that produced a school-record 25-11 record last season and a 10-4 mark in the Summit League while advancing to the second round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) ... last year's leading rebounder, Steve Forbes, is leading the Mastodons with 15.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game this season ... IPFW is led by first-year coach Jon Coffman.
RPI ON THE RISE
According to the Dec. 21 Collegiate Basketball News RPI, Illinois State has a No. 47 RPI, marking ISU's highest RPI since the Redbirds were No. 39 in the third edition of the 2012-13 RPI report (Dec. 24, 2012). The Redbirds went on to earn No. 58 and No. 95 RPIs on successive weeks in 2012. ISU's 47 RPI ranks third in the Missouri Valley Conference behind Wichita State (No. 4) and Northern Iowa (No. 12).
SCHEDULE STRENGTH
Illinois State's non-conference strength of schedule is ranked No. 22 in the nation according to the Dec. 21 Collegiate Basketball News RPI. ISU's 22 NCSS ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference behind Wichita State (No. 8).
STRONG STARTS
The Redbirds have held the halftime advantage in all but one game so far this season. The only time ISU trailed at intermission was during the Redbirds' loss to Seton Hall (Nov. 24) at the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. Illinois State is 6-3 when leading at halftime and 0-1 when trailing at the half.
CONTROLLING THE BOARDS
Illinois State has only been outrebounded once this season through the Redbirds' first 10 games. By outrebounding ISU, 35-30, Murray State (Dec. 20) snapped ISU's streak of five-straight games in which the Redbirds outrebounded the opposition. ISU had not outrebounded five-straight opponents since outrebounding six-straight in 2010-11. ISU has earned the rebounding edge in eight out of 10 games.
CRASHING THE GLASS
ISU ranks No. 2 in the Missouri Valley Conference with a +5.7 rebounding margin after 10 games, while comparatively, last year's Redbirds had a -4.1 rebounding margin at the same point. As a team, Illinois State ranks second in the league with 13.7 offensive rebounds per game, and sophomore center Reggie Lynch leads the MVC with 3.1 offensive rebounds per contest.
TENACIOUS TONY
Making his second-career start, sophomore guard Tony Wills earned career highs in points (14), field goals (five) and minutes (28) in Illinois State's loss at Murray State (Dec. 20). The Indianapolis, Indiana, native shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, including 1-for-1 from beyond the arc and 3-for-3 at the free throw line.
DAISHON DOES IT AGAIN
By matching a career high with a game-best 26 points on eight field goals in ISU's loss at Murray State (Dec. 20), senior guard Daishon Knight has now recorded double figures in a team-best 13 out-of-the-last 16 games, dating back to last season, including eight of 10 this year. He has scored 20 or more points in a team-best seven games throughout his two-year ISU career.
PARIS ON POINT
Redbird sophomore point guard Paris Lee has started a team-best 43-consecutive games dating back to last season, including all 10 of ISU's contests this year. He currently leads ISU and ranks No. 2 in the Missouri Valley Conference with 1.9 steals per game. Lee's assist-to-turnover ratio is tied for third-best in the league, at 2.0, and he ranks No. 4 in the MVC with 3.6 assists per game. The Maywood, Illinois, native reached double-figures for the second time this season with 10 points at Murray State (Dec. 20).
JUSTIN' TIME
After averaging 0.8 points and 3.0 minutes through his first four games, junior transfer guard Justin McCloud has found his stride, averaging 6.0 points and 17.8 minutes through his last four contests. The Bottineau, North Dakota, native netted a career-high 11 points in a career-best 22 minutes during Illinois State's win over UT Martin (Dec. 17).
LYNCH'S BLOCK PARTY
Sophomore center Reggie Lynch leads the Missouri Valley Conference and ranks No. 19 nationally with 2.9 blocks per game. Lynch recorded a career-high seven blocked shots in the Redbirds' win over Youngstown State (Nov. 29), followed by six blocks versus both VCU (Dec. 2) and at UAB (Dec. 7). He now ranks No. 6 on the ISU career-blocks list, with 125, behind Joe Galvin's 132 blocks. As a team, Illinois State leads the MVC with 4.3 blocks per game.
McINTOSH GETS HOT
After scoring no more then five points in a game through his first six contests, freshman forward MiKyle McIntosh has averaged 10.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game during Illinois State's last four matchups.
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