Illinois State begins conference play picked to finish fifth in the MVC following last season's tie for fourth place, while Indiana State is selected sixth after finishing second in last year's final standings.
TELEVISION BROADCAST
Wednesday's game will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, ESPN Full Court and ESPN3. Below are channel listings where the game can be found:
- Comcast XFINITY (Bloomington-Normal):Â 56, 522, 922, 836
- DirecTV:Â 665, 723
- DISH:Â 429
- AT&T U-Verse: 741, 1741
- Comcast XFINITY (Chicago-area): 37, 200, 836
- Mediacom: 33, 733
- ESPN3.com
THE SERIES:
Indiana State visits Illinois State Wednesday afternoon for the 112th meeting in the all-time series dating back to 1914, which the Redbirds lead, 60-51. Illinois State also holds a 36-16 advantage in games played against the Sycamores in Normal, Illinois, including a 20-6 advantage at Redbird Arena. Head coach Dan Muller is 2-2 versus Indiana State. The Redbirds are 2-4 versus the Sycamores in Missouri Valley Conference openers, with a 2-1 mark in MVC openers versus Indiana State at home. Muller participated in both victories as a player in 1995 and 1997.
WHAT'S AT STAKE?:
Illinois State is trying to win its fourth-straight game at home and its third-straight overall. Since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 1981-82, the Redbirds are 15-18 in league openers, with a 7-8 record in home MVC openers.
ILLINOIS STATE AT A GLANCE:
Improved to 8-4 after beating Quincy (Dec. 29) ... combined for a 67-point winning margin in its last two games ... winners of five out-of-the-last six ... three players have recorded double-doubles this season ... the team has only been outrebounded once this year ... 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.
INDIANA STATE AT A GLANCE:
Fell to 4-8 after losing in double overtime to Missouri-Kanas City (Dec. 28) ... picked to finish sixth in the MVC this year after finishing second last year and advancing to the championship game of the 2014 MVC Tournament ... returning two of last year's five starters, including Justin Gant, who is averaging 8.5 points and 4.1 rebounds.
NEW YEAR TIPS OFF
On the final day of 2014, the Illinois State men's basketball team begins a new year of Missouri Valley Conference basketball by hosting Indiana State Wednesday afternoon. The Redbirds are opening MVC play at home for the first time since 2011-12, which was also the last time ISU won its league opener. Since joining the MVC in 1981-82, the Redbirds are 15-18 in conference openers, with a 7-8 record in home MVC openers. Illinois State is 2-4 versus the Sycamores in Missouri Valley Conference openers.
SCHEDULE STRENGTH
Illinois State's non-conference strength of schedule is ranked No. 41 in the nation according to the Dec. 30 Collegiate Basketball News RPI Report. ISU's 41 NCSS ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference behind Wichita State (No. 13). Illinois State's RPI is No. 67, which is fourth-best in the league.
NO DOUBT ABOUT IT
The Redbirds earned back-to-back decisive victories in their final non-conference contests of the season, combining for a 67-point winning margin versus Summit League-favorite IPFW (Dec. 22) and Quincy (Dec. 29). ISU tallied a 25-point win over the Mastodons and a 42-point victory against the Hawks. Illinois State set a Redbird Arena record with 59 first-half points versus Quincy en route to establishing ISU's widest winning margin since beating Chicago State by 44 points in 2011.
SHARING THE WEALTH
In Illinois State's last two victories over IPFW (Dec. 22) and Quincy (Dec. 29), ISU has feature a balanced scoring attack in which every Redbird in the game scored. For the first time since February of 2014, five Redbirds reached double figures in Illinois State's win over Quincy. ISU also combined to shoot 60.9 percent from the field versus the Hawks, marking the Redbirds' highest percentage since shooting 62.1 percent versus UC Santa Barbara in 2012.
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 8-3 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 12 games. By outrebounding ISU by five, 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 10 out of 12 games.
CRASHING THE GLASS
ISU ranks No. 2 in the Missouri Valley Conference with a +6.0 rebounding margin after 12 games, while comparatively, last year's Redbirds had a -3.9 rebounding margin at the same point. As a team, Illinois State ranks second in the league with 13.8 offensive rebounds per game, and sophomore center Reggie Lynch is No. 2 in the MVC with 2.9 offensive rebounds per contest.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
The Redbirds lead the Missouri Valley Conference in both blocks (4.5) and steals (7.9) per game, which ranks No. 76 and No. 72 in the nation, respectively. ISU is led by sophomore center Reggie Lynch who is averaging a league-best 3.0 blocks per game, which ranks No. 15 nationally, while sophomore guard Paris Lee is tied for first in the league and is No. 45 in the nation with 2.2 steals per contest.
PARIS ON POINT
Sophomore Paris Lee continues to consistently lead the Redbirds at the point guard position. Having started in a team-best 45-straight games, Lee is tied for first in Missouri Valley Conference steals (2.2 per game), while ranking second with a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. Lee earned a career-high nine assists in ISU's win over Quincy (Dec. 29), marking the most by a Redbird since 2012. He also forced five steals.
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 7.5 points and 18.3 minutes through his last six contests. The Bottineau, North Dakota, native led the Redbirds with a career-high 18 points on an ISU season-best 5-for-6 effort from beyond the arc in ISU's win over Quincy (Dec. 29). He also went a career-best 3-for-4 at the free throw line while earning career highs in rebounds (three), assists (three) and steals (two).
MR. CONSISTENT
Senior guard Daishon Knight has now recorded double figures in a team-best 15 out-of-the-last 18 games, dating back to last season, including 10-of-12 this year and seven-straight. He has scored 20 or more points in a team-best seven games throughout his two-year ISU career, including matching a career-high with 26 points on eight field goals in ISU's loss at Murray State (Dec. 20).
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